


Winter's Hearts

by Nekoamamori



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-28 12:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 104,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13903767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekoamamori/pseuds/Nekoamamori
Summary: You're a half-Jotun Valkyrie who has to live with the Avengers after helping them during a battle.  Then Thor brings Loki to join the team.  Can either of you thaw your frozen bruised hearts?





	1. Chapter 1

    You had almost convinced yourself that the Avengers could handle this fight without help. They were the Avengers after all, Earth’s mightiest heroes and all that. You focused on your task, shepherding civilians further into the hospital, your current place of employment. Your gaze kept going back to the battle, despite your better judgment. The battle was raging right outside the hospital’s doors. It was the Avengers and some people in black outfits vs a group of robots and monsters.

    They didn’t need help.

    You didn’t have to blow your cover, expose yourself and your powers because they didn’t need help.

    They. Did. Not. Need. Help.

    They were doing just find on their own.

    It wasn’t your responsibility. None of this was your responsibility.

    It was _not_ your responsibility. You had a nice little life pretending to be normal working as a nurse. This was not the time to destroy that.

    Until you saw the monster throw Thor from the sky. He hit the ground so hard, it cratered around him and he was in a Thor-shaped hole at least a foot deep in the middle of the street. You watched for him to get up, but he didn’t.

    He didn’t.

    He didn’t.

    You had to move then. Honor and duty demanded it. You stripped off your gloves, cursed yourself for making this stupid-ass decision, donned your black battle armor with magic, and teleported into battle, appearing directly in front of Thor, dagger in one hand, bolt of green magic in the other. “Brother?” Thor’s voice asked from behind you as you stood between the monster and him. You heard the heartbreak and fear in his voice. He thought Loki was here. He thought his little brother was here, putting himself in danger to save Thor. “Brother, no! It is too dangerous. He’s too strong!” Thor shouted as you leapt into battle, viciously fighting the monster with daggers, magic, and ice. You didn’t blame Thor for the mistake, not at all. Not when you were wearing black, fighting with daggers and magic, had a thin frame, and raven hair that went down to your shoulders. His conclusion was obvious, if incorrect. You also didn’t correct it at the moment.

    Instead, you slew the monster, using your centuries of combat experience and training to kill the beast. Thor was back on his feet when the monster was slain. You saw the hurt and hatred in his eyes when he finally got a good look at you, finally realized for sure that you were not Loki.

    You vanished your weapons except for the last and stepped toward him. When you were the exact prescribed distance in front of him, you dropped to one knee, drawing your dragonfang blade and laying it in front of you in offering to your prince. You placed your right fist over your heart and bowed your head. “Your highness,” you bid him formally as the battle continue to rage around you. You were duty bound to the throne of Asgard.

    “You’re a Valkyrie?” he asked in disbelief. You could still hear the hurt and anger in his voice. He hadn’t gotten over thinking that you were Loki in that moment.

    “Yes, your highness,” you replied, moving your arm to show him the tattoo there.

    “Thor, stop playing with your new friend and help us!” Ironman yelled as he flew past.

    “Help us defeat these foes. We will deal with this later,” Thor ordered. He swung Mjolnir and flew back into the battle proper. You rose and did as you were told, helping the Avengers with their foes.

    You were surrounded by the team when the battle was over. It took all of your willpower to vanish your weapons when they all were glaring at you. “Who are you?” Captain America demanded. “Are you sure this isn’t your brother in disguise?” He added to Thor, who nodded.

    “This is not Loki. I would know him in any of his disguises,”

    You steeled your spine and stared at him to answer. “I am Y/N, daughter of Sigrun, a Valkyrie of Asgard,” you told him firmly. Thor glared at you.

    “That is not all,” he told you equally firmly, his tone angry, hurt, pained. You dropped your gaze, not wanting to admit the rest, but Thor had called you on it, so you had to answer. Damn honor and duty.

    “I’m half Jotun,” you told him. You saw the hurt in his eyes and knew again that he would never forgive you for reminding him so much of Loki.

    *

    In the end, you were picked up by SHIELD, your cover had been blown anyway, so you couldn’t return to the life you’d built. You were too dangerous to return to it anyway. You couldn’t even have skin to skin contact without frost burning whoever tried to touch you. You were a walking biohazard.

    No one trusted you. You reminded them all too much of Loki and no one forgot that he tried to take over the world. Your looks, skills, heritage were all too similar. You fit in as poorly here as you did as a child on Asgard.

    Fury and Coulson finally sent you to live with the Avengers, join the team, try to prove yourself. You avoided Thor, really avoided all of them, usually silently reading in your room when you weren’t actively on a mission. They didn’t accept you. Wouldn’t. Couldn’t. You were too much of a freak, even for these freaks. You were polite to them, but reserved, an unwanted ghost around the tower. You saw Thor’s hurt during the rare times you _did_ see him. Even your mannerisms reminded him of his brother. He didn’t speak to you except for a polite stiff greeting if he saw you.

    That wasn’t helping anyone like you when even Thor couldn’t. He liked everyone and was usually so jovial and optimistic.

    *

    It was a lonely hell and you waited for attention to drop off of you enough to leave the situation, to go build a new life somewhere else, but SHIELD and the Avengers were all keeping a close eye on you, waiting for you to snap.

    You didn’t snap. You endured, just as you had your entire life.

    It was Nat who tentatively offered friendship first, after months of living with the team. At first it was just an offer of a sparring partner. You traded tips and tricks with her and formed a tentative friendship over it.

    “None of you are being fair!” you heard her yelling at the team one day. “She’s done nothing but help us. You can’t blame her for looking like him,” she insisted. You hung back from the room. You’d been tentatively bringing your book to the living room to sit on the other side of Nat’s couch and read. It was the closest to social interaction you got. Eventually, they would forget you were sitting there and go back to their conversations, ignoring your existence.

    “She looks and acts just like him...” Clint protested, but hesitantly. Nat was his best friend here and he didn’t lightly oppose her.

    “Like you’d be open and friendly to a group of people actively shunning you,” she snarled.

    You entered the room then, effectively breaking up the fight. You nodded a polite greeting to the room with a soft ‘hello’, and took your spot on Nat’s couch. You gave her a small, tentative smile, then buried your nose in your book.

    *

    Thor left for about a month, claiming he had business to deal with on Asgard. It was only Nat’s insistence that you had done nothing wrong that kept you out of the containment cells in the basement. Bruce finally picked your side then too, claiming that Tony was being unreasonable.

    “She only has loyalty to the throne of Asgard. You heard Thor,” Tony protested. “She’s too much like Reindeer Games and I don’t trust her with her only leash gone.” You pretended like you couldn’t hear him, but slowly got up to take your book back up to your room. You were going to hole up there except for meals and missions for the next month. You didn’t have to put up with this shit.

    You wished you could just leave, but they were all keeping too close of an eye on you. Expecting you to fuck up.

    *

    Finally, Thor returned. You all went to the elevator in the living room to welcome him home. You stood off to the side, not part of the group, but here where he could see that you weren’t causing trouble. You didn’t cause trouble, hell you weren’t even sure if you were actually living.

    You were as shocked as the rest of them when he stepped off of the elevator with Loki. “Loki will be living with us and is going to join the team,” Thor announced optimistically. The group was shocked and protested, but the decision had already been made. You didn’t comment, instead watching the extremely handsome, reserved prince as he looked over the group with an icy sneer.

    “Thor, stop bringing home stray Asgardians!” you heard Clint protest.

    Loki’s eyes caught yours and you saw the briefest hint of interest on his face. Stupid honor dictated what had to come next. So you stepped forward then and knelt before Loki, in the same manner you had before Thor, laying your dragonfang blade at his feet. “Your highness,” you greeted him properly while the group stared on. You caught the ever so slight widening of his eyes in surprise.

    “ _That’s_ why we can’t trust her!” Tony protested at the scene.

    Loki’s tone betrayed his interest to your keen ears, though he tried to hide it behind a facade of boredom. “This might be interesting after all, little Valkyrie,”

    


	2. Chapter 2

    You saw the smirk in Loki’s eyes, the oh so familiar glint and it took every ounce of your willpower to stay kneeling, to not leap up to kiss him. Oh how you’d missed him. You never thought you’d see him again, but at the same time, the recognition wasn’t quite there in his eyes. He didn’t quite remember. It was that knowledge that kept you where you were.

    Kissing a man who thought you were a stranger wasn’t allowed.

    The smirk was there, though, as he started to kneel to accept your blade. Just as he had done 900 years ago... but this time, unlike then, Thor swept in before Loki could touch the blade and scooped up the dragonfang before Loki could. “Thank you for your service to the throne, Valkyrie,” Thor said formally and offered you his hand. You placed your gloved hand in his and let him help you to your feet. He handed you your blade back, hilt first. “I owe you an apology, Lady. It has been brought to my attention that I have been treating you unfairly-”

    “Mother yelled at him,” Loki interrupted with an actual smile, his formal facade cracking at the ability to tease Thor. You traded a knowing smile with him. He looked surprised at the familiarity. He really didn’t remember.

    “Loki,” Thor’s tone was a warning.

    “She _did_ ,” Loki replied innocently. “I take great joy in _you_ being in trouble for once.” His expression did show that he was taking such joy in Thor’s discomfort. Some things never changed.

    “Regardless,” Thor bravely tried to go on. “I have treated you poorly and allowed the rest of the team to do so as well because of my own hurt feelings. That was unfair and unacceptable, especially when you have done nothing besides save my life. I shall make amends for your treatment and I hope you will forgive me someday,” Thor’s voice was optimistic and hopeful, though slightly too formal. You saw a glint in his eyes. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

    “Of course, your highness,” you said softly, not quite sure you could say any more. You had been hurt all of those years ago, and bruised again over the last few months. So you weren’t quite trusting again, not yet. Besides, Loki deserved the truth first.

    Thor gave you a look and you thought he might be starting to remember when he did. “No need for such formality. We’re on the same team and this is not Asgard. Besides, we’re all basically the same age. Mother said that we should all have grown up together...had circumstances not been what they were.” He glanced at Loki automatically. You looked away and flushed, wondering what exactly he _did_ remember. Thor gave you a warm smile. “Why don’t you give my brother a tour while the grownups discuss the changes that are going to happen around here so you both will be happy here. His suite is the one across the hall from yours,” Thor suggested. You knew that tone of voice was an order, not a suggestion.

    There was still only one proper response. “I am _not_ a child!” you and Loki both protested at the same time, glaring at Thor with daggers drawn. Thor boomed a laugh at the two of you and you saw the recognition in his expression, the slight hint of memory. You glanced at Loki. Both of you stuck your tongue out at the other at the same time, then glared, vanished your daggers, crossed your arms, and turned your heads away from the other all in sync.

    You risked a glance at Loki and saw the look in his eyes, as if he almost remembered. Almost.

    The memory of doing that same thing on so, so many occasions had you suddenly five years old again. The first time Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three had teased you two over something and that had been your exact reaction to it. You couldn’t remember what it was the first time. It had been a common occurrence over the years.

    “Go on,” Thor told you, his voice gentle, but the order was firm.

    You glared at him and risked teasing, just a little, just to see how much he remembered. He obviously knew something of the events, since he had spoken with Frigga. He wasn’t telling you how much, but... he was the one who wanted formality dropped. “Sure thing, Tore,” you replied with a smirk. You hadn’t been able to say ‘Thor’ properly as a small child.

    “Did her entire personality just change?” Tony whispered. Nat threw him to the floor.

    “Shut up. This is the side of her _I’ve_ seen. Just because you lot have been morons and not trusting her because she happens to look like Loki...” she snarled, pressing on Tony’s throat so he couldn’t interrupt anymore.

    Thor’s eyes actually lit up. He may not have remembered, but he at least knew something. You turned to Loki, who also had that same look of half-remembered memories. You gestured toward the elevator. “Shall we, your highness?” you asked carefully. You were unsure of his reaction. He inclined his head, obviously puzzled and intrigued, but wouldn’t comment in front of the others. He had always been shy.

    You looked over at him the second the elevators doors had closed and took a proper look at your prince. He had grown since you last saw him, though he was still only an inch or two taller than you, filled out some, more muscular than he had been, his raven hair was longer, his expression harder, more world-weary. “How much do you want to eavesdrop on them?” you asked him with a smirk, unable to help yourself from dropping into the casual informality of days long past.

    He raised an eyebrow, but answered quickly. “That sounds like an excellent idea,” his accent was the same, but his tone was too formal, too carefully guarded.

    You rolled your eyes. “You heard Thunderhead, no need for formalities, Lohk.” You tested the old name on him, gauging his reaction. His eyes widened in surprise, shock, almost recognition, almost, as he was taken aback. You offered him a gloved hand, palm up. He automatically placed his hand in yours. “Trust me,” you told him and teleported the two of you to the security room. He was a little surprised at the sudden teleportation, or at his automatic response to trust you. You couldn’t tell from his expression.

    You sat in the control chair and wheeled over to the control panel. A few moments of frantic keystrokes and the living room appeared on the main monitor in full color and full sound. “This is the security room. There’s a computer system that runs and monitors the tower. No one knows I’ve hacked into the system. I’d appreciate it if it stays that way,” you explained as Loki pulled up a chair next to yours to watch the screen.

    “Of course,” he agreed automatically, his eyes on the screen.

     _“Are you sure we shouldn’t be concerned that those two are basically the same?” Tony was asking._

     _“Stark, she’s done nothing wrong. All she’s done is help us. She didn’t volunteer, but that doesn’t change anything. None of us really did either,” Nat snarled in reply. “And before you argue that she’s antisocial, who wouldn’t be with the way you morons have been treating her? You treat her like a bug you can’t stand just because she happens to look like Loki,”_

     _“She has the same powers and fighting style,” Clint reminded her softly. He really didn’t like going against Nat._

     _“So all archers are exactly like you?” Nat shot back. Clint raised his hands in defeat._

     _“Fine, I’ll give the kid a chance,”_

     _“Kids,” Thor corrected firmly._

     _“Loki is not a kid. He tried to take over the world!” Tony replied hotly._

     _“He was coerced. Give them a chance. They have both been wounded by their pasts and bruised. We won’t help them by ostracizing them and making it worse,” Thor stood up for the two of you. He went on to order the team to give you both a chance and to be nice._

    You and Loki both rolled your eyes at that. “Your idiot brother never changes,” you informed him, and he smiled at what you were calling Thor in front of him. “I think we’ve seen all of interest here. Shall we get to the actual tour, Lohk?” you asked, smirking at his reaction to the nickname again. It was so adorable as he tried to remember.

    “I have not heard that nickname since...” he was trying to remember, but couldn’t quite yet.

    “You were 150,” you finished for him with a soft fond smile as you led him from the control room to begin the proper tour.

    “How do you know that? I don’t remember seeing you at the court,” he asked as you walked.

    “Well, you wouldn’t. Thunderhead is only starting to remember, probably because your Lady Mother yelled at him and told him some of the story,” you explained as you showed him the now-empty living room, dining room, and kitchen, as well as the medical bay that was on the same floor.

    “Lady...” Loki’s tone was a frustrated warning, still trying to be polite, but he wanted answers. You didn’t blame him.

    You laughed. “Sorry! Sorry! It’s just so rare to know something you don’t. I had to savor the moment. C’mon, I’ll show you the library and I’ll explain things there.” You had to fight the urge to take his hand as you walked. You couldn’t just fall back into old habits like that.

    Not when he didn’t remember.


	3. Chapter 3

    You walked up to the library in silence with Loki at your side. You felt his questions burning as he tried to figure out what was going on. You took a step from the open familiarity toward formality. He didn’t remember and until he did, it was best to stick to protocol.

    You opened the door to the library for him and watched with a fond, warm, smile as he stared at the wonder of all of the books. Some things would never change and placing Loki in a room full of books led to the same reaction no matter how many centuries had passed. Even the mystery of his missing memories couldn’t compete with a new library.

    He wandered off without a word, enthralled by all of the books. You chuckled and settled on the couch by the fireplace, summoning the book you were currently reading from your bedroom. He would come find you when he was ready and nothing could drag him away from the allure of new reading material until then.

    His nose was in a book as he walked over to the couch. You smiled and tossed one of the apples you had summoned his way. He caught it without looking up from his book and bit into it before he realized what you had done or what he was doing. Some things really did never change. He curled catlike on the other side of the couch and finally seemed to remember that there was more in his environment than books. He blinked quickly and closed the book, looking over at you. “Hi,” you smirked at him. He chuckled.

    “I should apologize...”

    You shrugged. “I knew what I was getting into when I brought you up here,” you told him. You got his attention back at that.

    “So, would you care to explain why you seem to know us so well, but Thor and I don’t remember you?” he asked, a hint of anger and hurt in his tone. You summoned a plate of sandwiches on a plate on the middle cushion and nodded. He took one absently. Asgardians were bottomless pits when it came to food.

    “I promised you an explanation.” Now that it was time, it was hard to get the words out. “I don’t know what you remember. I’m going to assume it’s nothing, since your Lady Mother would have been thorough when the Allfather ordered her to modify your memories when I was exiled from Asgard,”

    Loki glared at you. Exiles were _not_ good, usually only for extreme crimes. “What did you do to get exiled?” he asked incredulously. Especially since you had obviously kept your rank when you were exiled.

    You smirked at him. “Kissed you,” you replied. It was worth the open shock on his face and you laughed aloud at it.

    “I didn’t think that was an exileable offence. Unless the kiss was that bad...” he teased, then looked shocked, like he wondered where the hell the teasing came from.

    “I assure you the kiss was more than satisfactory,” you glared at him, crossing your arms over your chest defensively. He gestured for you to continue when his laughter died down. “So I’ll start at the beginning. I trust that you’ve learned about your heritage by now?” He inclined his head so you continued. “Thank the Norns. If I had to tell you that too, I swear by Odin’s beard I would have slapped the Allfather for adding that torture too, exile or no,” you grumbled. Odin wasn’t exactly your favorite person for what he did to all of you. “I’m Y/N, daughter of Sigun of the Valkyries,” Loki nodded recognition. He knew your mother at least. “During the war with the Jotuns, Mother went to Jotunheim in the guise of a frost giant as a spy for the Allfather. She ended up marrying one of the giants to keep up her disguise. I was born shortly before the end of the war. When the treaty was signed, Odin took you to Asgard and Mother returned there with me. She was actually your wet nurse,” you paused again there, hating that he didn’t remember, that you had to spell all of this out for him.

    “You’re half Jotun?” he asked in the silence. You nodded and stripped off one of your gloves. With a faint shimmer of magic, your hand turned blue, confirming that you were at least part Jotun. You shook your hand and it turned back to normal.

    “Neither of us were told of our parentage. Your Lady Mother thought I would be a good companion for you, though. She wanted you to have a friend who you couldn’t hurt if your Jotun powers went out of control. Oh don’t give me that look,” he was glaring. “You know as well as I that magic in children goes awry. Often and creatively.”

    He chuckled. “You’re right. Go on,” he urged, sounding nearly desperate.

    “So we grew up together. Your Lady Mother taught us both magic, mine taught us the fighting arts. Your idiot brother and his idiot friends were annoying companions and the butt of so very, very many pranks over the years,”

    “I don’t remember any of this!” Loki protested, frustrated. You saw the hurt in his eyes.

    “I know. I’m getting there,” you told him quickly. He didn’t look appeased. “I’ll skip to the end. We were 150, had been best friends from the cradle, and well, one thing led to another and were making out in one of the alcoves, the one behind the statue of Yggdrasil growing out of Ymir’s body. We were found by some of the maids. That wouldn’t have been bad on it’s own, no one cared about a few kisses in an alcove. Except that both of us were mostly blue and our eyes were bright red. Your brother and Sif saw us too. They had been looking for their own alcove to enjoy,” you explained. His face blanched when he realized what all of that meant.

    “The very reason your Lady Mother thought I was a good companion for you as a child was the exact reason the king saw fit to exile me the very day those maids found us. He ordered the queen to modify yours, Thor’s, Sif’s, all of your memories so you wouldn’t remember me, and so none of you would remember that you were a frost giant. He erased all of the fun and friendship of your childhood so his secret that he had taken you from Jotunheim would remain intact. He ordered all of the adults to never speak of it again.

    He granted your Lady Mother a boon and let you say goodbye before he sent me off. I’m still not sure that was a kindness, though she had meant it to be.” You would never forget the heartbreak in his eyes, the tears you both spilled, his shouts of grief when you were sent away for no more of a crime than kissing him. No matter his protests that you wouldn’t be caught again, that you wouldn’t do it again, the Allfather hadn’t been swayed. He was taking no chances with his secret. You had only been 150, the Asgardian equivalent of 18ish year olds. “He let me keep my memories at your Lady Mother’s request, saying that I was no danger to you in Midgard. She also told me that if I ever met her sons again, one of us should know what your childhood was really like...she said to tell you that you did not grow up in Thor’s shadow like you thought, but in fun and friendship and achievements of your own,” you tried to gauge his reaction to the words, but it was impossible. His reaction was hidden behind a millennia of living in the court of Asgard. You sat in silence with him for a few minutes. He needed time to process, and if you knew him as well as you thought you did, he needed space and solitude too.

    “Would you like for me to show you to your room?” you asked, sticking to formality right now. He wasn’t up to opening up and you felt bad for pushing when he just got here. You just felt awful for what Odin had done to his memories after you’d gone through the Bifrost, and felt he needed to know now as opposed to hiding it from him any longer than absolutely necessary.

    “How can I know your story is true?” he finally replied, thinking through the possibilities.

    You rolled your eyes and huffed at him in exasperation. “You’re telling me the god of lies can’t spot the truth?” you asked incredulously. “Fine, read my mind and my memories if you don’t believe me. I know you know the spell. Your Lady Mother taught it to us when she taught us all of the telepathy based magic. We were... 50ish? You have my permission,”

    He looked taken-aback. “You would trust-?” he started with such open disbelief.

    “Of course I would,” he hesitated, confused and overwhelmed. You slipped your glove back on and got to your feet. “Come on, Lohk-your highness,” you corrected quickly, offering him a hand. “Let me escort you to your chambers,”

    Hide behind formality, allow him to do the same. His court mask fell back into place and he stood, not taking your hand, but acknowledged the offer. “My lady Valkyrie is most gracious,” he replied formally. You nodded and led him back to the elevator. You took the elevator down a couple of floors to the floor your suite was on.

    “This one is yours,” you gestured to the door when you reached it. You took a step back, unwilling to press yourself into his company or invite yourself to the solitude he needed to think over what you had told him.

    “You’re not going to come with me?” his voice was teasing, but tentative, afraid of opening up. “I thought a Valkyrie’s duties were to devote her skills to the crown,”

    You rolled your eyes. “I have no skills that will help in the bedroom, _your highness_ ,” you teased back, putting emphasis on the sarcastic way you said his title. Just like old times indeed, or almost. It was too hesitant and timid of teasing and banter.

    “You’re over 1000 years old surely-” he teased. He stopped when he saw your expression.

    You sighed heavily and answered only because it was a direct question. “I haven’t even kissed anyone since I was 150,” you told him softly. He would know _exactly_ what that meant. “Unlike you, I can’t control my Jotun abilities that well. Anyone I come into physical contact with gets frost burned,” you raised a hand to indicate the gloves. “So, no. I have no skills that will help you in your bedroom. I’ll leave you to your solitude. If you need anything, my chambers are across the hall. I will see you later, my prince,” you bid him fondly and took a couple steps toward you room, fighting back tears. That had been harder than you’d expected.

    “Until later, Lady Valkyrie...” he hesitated a moment, the word stumbling on his silver tongue. “Kyrie...” he said the word softly, tentatively, not understanding it, but seeming to know it was important.

    You turned and smiled warmly at him. “You have called me ‘Kyrie’ since we were children,” you told him. “Your Lady Mother used to call me her little Valkyrie so often that she said you thought my name was Valkyrie for ages, but we were children, so you shortened it to Kyrie,” you explained kindly. You made a shooing motion with your hands. “Go brood oh tall, dark, and handsome trickster. You’ll feel better when you’ve brooded it over,” you teased. You stuck your tongue out at him while he spluttered and ducked into your own suite.

    Maybe things had a chance to work out after all, and despite Odin’s meddling.

    You knew better than to let yourself be that hopeful.


	4. Chapter 4

    You leaned against your closed door trying to fight back emotions. It had been so hard to tell Loki what you had, and there was still 150 years of backstory that you hadn’t been able to tell him yet. The revelations you had given him had been hard enough. You had a feeling he’d be breaking Frigga’s spell on his own, or possibly asking for your help to do it. You knew you could and you’d gladly break that damn spell for him. Not that it was Frigga’s fault that it was there. Even she couldn’t disobey Odin’s orders.

    You could only stall for so long. There was one other thing you had to do, so you pushed yourself away from the door. “Jarvis, where’s Thor?” you asked your phone. The AI was limited in the bedrooms.

    “He’s in training room A, Miss,” Jarvis replied.

    “Thanks Jarvis,” you told the AI while you changed into yoga pants and a sports bra, tying your hair back as you left your room. If you were going to talk to Thor in the training room, you knew that you had to be dressed to fight it out with him. He wasn’t going to be pleased either probably. “If Loki happens to come looking for me, please let him know where I went,”

    “Yes, Miss,”

    With that done, you made your way down to the training room. “Hey, Y/N, you ok?” Nat asked as you passed through the living room to grab a couple bottles of water from the fridge.

    You nodded and gave her a tentative smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Loki’s in his room. I need to go talk to Thor, but since he’s down in the training room," you gestured to the workout clothes.

    “Do I need to beat some sense into him for you? I know you can’t do it yourself,” that was true, you were duty bound to defend the throne, that did generally keep one from beating sense into said crown-wearer. At least in public. Usually. Shit. You were an awful Valkyrie at times. You beat sense into the boys more than once when they were being stupid.

    You laughed in reply. “I think his mom took care of that. No, I shouldn’t need him actually beaten up. If I do, I’ll call you.” She nodded, accepting your reassurance. “But Thunderhead always forgets to bring water with him when he’s planning on working out,” you held up the water bottles and Nat actually laughed.

    “Thunderhead?”

    “I’ll explain later. I...kinda have to tell him first,” you admitted. You waved to her and headed back to the elevator to head to the lower level where the training room was. Thor was in there working out without a shirt. Of course. You leaned against the doorjamb for a moment, watching before you cleared your throat and announced. “Hey Thunderer,”

    “Valkyrie,” he replied when he paused his drill to look over and see who was interrupting him. You tossed one of the bottles of water his way.

    “You always forget to stay hydrated and I don’t feel like carrying your unconscious ass back to your chambers. Again.” You told him with a smile. He paused then and just stared at you. “How much did your Lady Mother tell you?” you asked as you stepped into the room.

    “She berated me for being rude to you and hinted that things were not as they seemed. She said she could not say more, but that you were not under such constraints,” Thor finally said as he obediently downed the bottle of water. You vanished the empty bottle for him when he was done.

    “That’s true. I’m not. I probably should have told you sooner, but...”

    “I appeared to hate you, so why make it worse?” he suggested. You gave him a small smile. “You and Loki are quite similar after all,” he added in explanation. You inclined your head, giving him that point.

    “So, let me fill you in...” you told him everything that you had told Loki while he just stared in disbelieving shock.

    “You were exiled to protect Loki’s secret?” Thor finally asked. You nodded. “How can I know this is true?” he asked.

    You sighed. “Damn your brother for being the Lord of Lies and making you wary. I can use magic to remove your Lady Mother’s magic, but you wouldn’t trust that I didn’t just meddle with your memories instead. I can tell you 150 years’ worth of old stories, but you don’t remember them, so that won’t help,” you sighed heavily. “I don’t know what I can do to prove my story to you or Loki, and I’m at even more of a disadvantage as you have no reason to trust an exiled Valkyrie.” You fought back tears at his silence. Thor had changed. You all had in 900 years. He still didn’t speak again, so you nodded an extremely informal bow and left the other bottle of water for him. “Whether you believe me or not, you deserved to know, both of you did.” You turned to leave to leave him to his workout.

    “You truly cared for my brother,” Thor finally said softly.

    “I love your brother,” you replied firmly. “That never changed just because the Allfather sent me away.” You left him to his workout and headed back to your room, fighting even more emotions. Today had been trying already.

    You passed Nat in the hall, she was apparently keeping tabs on you. One look at your expression and she went stomping off to bother Thor. “Thor! You were the one who just went on a massive lecture about being nice to Y/N and Loki. Now, you’re making her cry?” Nat demanded as she stormed into the training room to go kick Thor’s ass. You rushed in and grabbed her arm before she could punch him.

    “Natasha, no. It’s not Thor’s fault,” you told her firmly.

    “The hell it’s not,” she growled. “I know you can’t beat sense into him. Let me go and I’ll do it myself,”

    “It’s not his fault. It’s mine. Just leave it alone,” they both looked shocked and hurt at your words. “It’s my fault,” you insisted. “I told him something he didn’t want to hear. We knew each other on Asgard and I reminded him of it, but have no way of _proving_ my story to him. Really, it’s not his fault,” you dragged Nat from the room before she could knock some sense into Thor. She finally relented and went to go beat up something in one of the other training rooms. Based on the sound of pain, you thought it was Clint.

    You used magic to change back into normal clothes, jeans and a t-shirt and headed up to the kitchen to begin making dinner. It wasn’t your turn, but you had to do something to feel useful. So you made an old favorite of Loki’s, choosing absently, but smiling when you realized what you’d chosen. It was an old Asgardian fish dish you hadn’t had in years, but still knew how to make. You had a sub a few ingredients, but it would turn out just fine.

    “What’s for dinner?” Cap asked kindly as the team slowly made their way to the dining room. Bruce was dragging Tony by the arm or he wouldn’t have left his lab. Nat and Thor arrived together, both looking way more bruised than they had an hour ago. You had a feeling they were ‘talking’ out what you had told Thor.

    “A fish dish from back home,” you told Cap. “Did anyone tell Loki it was time for dinner?” you asked the group.

    “I did. He said he wasn’t hungry,” Clint told you as he got the plates out of the cabinet. Cap got the silverware and Bruce got Tony to sit at a chair and not run back to his lab. You served the dinner and saw Thor’s warm smile. He recognized the dish apparently.

    The team chatted and joked and told stories while you ate and everyone praised the wonderful meal. You sat with them through dinner. Cap and Nat cleaned up the kitchen while you made another plate, setting it on a tray with a wine glass of the Asgardian mead Thor had brought back from Asgard, a set of silverware, and a book from the library you knew a certain god would enjoy.

    You carried the tray up to Loki’s room and knocked on the door. “Go away, Thor! I already said I don’t want to hang out with your friends,” Loki growled. You hovered the tray in the air just outside of his door at waist height. You summoned a piece of stationary and a calligraphy pen to write out a quite note in Asgardian.

     _The meal is safe. I prepared it and I did not let Thor help. You need to eat something, your highness._

    You signed it with they stylized sigil of your name. The note was formal, but you weren’t brave enough to drop the formality again without getting some indication from him first. Still, you couldn’t help being nice and bringing him dinner. Old habits and duty died hard.

    You knocked again harder, then ducked across the hall into your own room before he swung his door open, roaring at Thor for bothering him again. You could tell the moment he saw the tray. His roars stopped at once. You smiled and fell face first onto your bed, drained from the emotionally exhausting day. You just needed to rest for a minute.

    *

    “Valkyrie?” Thor’s voice came with a knock at your door a short time later. You groaned and got to your feet. You opened the door and stepped just out of reach. You were in pajamas and hadn’t donned your gloves again, so your arms and hands were completely bare and Thor was a toucher. Not maliciously, but he liked physical contact. “You had mentioned that you could remove the magic Mother placed...?” he asked tentatively.

    You nodded. “I can. You trust me to do it?” you asked softly. He gave you a bright smile.

    “I would not besmirch a Valkyrie’s honor by claiming I did not,” he replied. You smirked at that not-quite-an-answer. He’d apparently learned some things from Loki over the years. “Would you-?” he asked finally.

    You nodded again. “Jarvis, can you ask Nat to come to the living room?” you asked.

    “She is already there, Miss,”

    “Thanks,” you were sure to be polite to Jarvis. He was already mad at your ability to hack his systems, especially when you had made sure he couldn’t tell Tony. “I’ll do it, but downstairs,” you told Thor. He nodded and stepped back so you could follow him from the room. You walked downstairs in a companionable silence, reminding you of old times. You gestured to one end of one of the couches and settled on the other. “Telepathy based magic isn’t my strongest. I’m going to need physical contact,” you told him.

    “I thought you couldn’t touch anyone,” Thor interrupted.

    You nodded. “I can’t touch the humans. I didn’t clarify that you have some immunity. I honestly don’t know if you’ll have enough for this. It’s been 900 years since the issue has come up,” you reminded him. “But normal everyday touches on Asgard were perfectly safe,” he nodded, accepting your assessment. You looked over at Nat. “Natasha, we’re going to be playing with complex magic. Can you make sure we’re not interrupted. Unless Thor starts looking too blue, then please interrupt,” she wanted to ask, you saw it in her eyes, but she only nodded. You lifted your hands to Thor’s temples, stopping just before you touched him. “Ready?” you asked.

    “Yes. I wish to know the truth,” he told you firmly. You nodded and placed your fingertips against his temples as you dove into your magic, staring into his eyes both of you unblinking lost to the trance of power.

    Frigga’s magic was deep and everywhere in his mind. It took effort to find every ounce of it. She had done her job well, but also had seemed to lay a trail for you to be able to undo what she had done.

    She had known.

    You don’t know how long you worked, how long you sat like that, how much power you were draining into this working. It was a lot, but this was also a working that couldn’t be interrupted. Not without risking damage to his mind. You didn’t see his memories, except for the very last one that you broke free of Frigga’s spell. It was the day you were exiled. Thor had watched from the entrance to the Bifrost, off to the side where he could watch and not be seen. He had watched as you and Loki had spilled your hearts and tears. He had watched his brother’s heart shatter as Odin physically sent you through the Bifrost while Frigga held the raging sobbing Loki to keep him from following. He had watched as Frigga worked her magic, Loki’s eyes glazing, then the soft question:

    “Mother, why are we at the Bifrost?”

    Frigga smiled warmly at her son. “You were curious how it worked, darling, remember? Heimdall was going to open it for you so you could see for yourself.” Loki nodded, accepting the answer. Thor was horrified that his Mother had truly done it, had truly removed Loki’s memories.

    *

    You broke the spell, tears in your eyes as you yanked your hands back from Thor’s temples. He was shivering, but seemed otherwise unaffected. “Sorry,” you murmured, placing your hands in your lap. Thor was blinking quickly, a side effect of having his mind meddled with, but his eyes deglazed quickly. You were swaying, exhausted and drained.

    “Oh gods,” Thor said softly, obviously remembering something. It would take him awhile to go through all of the memories.

    “Don’t try to remember everything at once,” you warned, your voice betraying your exhaustion. “Give it time,” he nodded, then looked you over. You were currently trying to remember how one got to one’s feet. It was difficult to imagine how to accomplish that task.

    Thor grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around you. “Come on, Kyrie, you’re in no shape after that much magic to make it to bed on your own.” You looked up at him confused, fading quickly now that the rush from focusing on that spell was gone. The old nickname hadn’t even registered. He gave you a warm smile and lifted you into his arms, like you weighed nothing. Of course you didn’t to him. The blanket was wrapped around you in such a way that he wouldn’t touch your bare skin. Obviously he could, but you would worry, plus he had just had a large dose of Jotun ice while you were working on his mind and really didn’t need more.

    Nat stood, trying to decide what to do with this development. “Relax, Lady Natasha, I am just escorting the Valkyrie back to her bed. She has done me quite the service tonight. I will explain later, but the least I can do in return is make sure she can rest from it. I will not harm her,”

    “Y/N?” Nat asked. You nodded, then let your head fwump back on Thor’s shoulder.

    “‘m ok. Thanks for helping,” you murmured. Nat’s job had been important, though she hadn’t really had to do anything. Lookouts were very important. Thor chuckled and carried you to the elevator.

    “Brother? Have you seen-” Loki’s voice roused you when Thor stepped out of the elevator on your floor. “What did you do to her?” He ran over and forcefully took you from Thor’s arms, which was a pretty impressive feat. You had a feeling Thor only handed you over so you didn’t get dropped in the tussle. “Kyrie? Kyrie?” he asked frantically, while you fought to open your eyes, too drained to function.

    “Calm, brother. She is fine. She used her magic to lift Mother’s spell from my memories,” Thor explained quickly.

    “I’m ok, love,” you murmured to Loki, only half awake and kissed his cheek automatically. You were too out of it to attempt to be formal, or remember that you were supposed to, or think. “Thunderhead is an oaf and loud, but he doesn’t lie,”

    You heard the warm smile in Loki’s reply. “Good, I would so hate to have to kill him. It would only upset Mother. And I much prefer that she is currently upset with Thor,” you smiled at his words and laid your head on his shoulder.

    “Do you remember, then?” Thor asked kindly as he walked with Loki to your room.

    Loki shook his head. “Only pieces. Mother’s magic is quite effective since it was specifically designed so I cannot break it. I was going to ask Kyrie to help, but it appears you beat me to it. And before you offer you are in no shape,” Loki added firmly for your benefit. Thor opened your bedroom door and Loki tucked you into bed. “Rest, little Valkyrie,” he bid you softly.

    “Love you too,” you murmured, eyes shut and mostly asleep. You felt him stiffen and nearly opened your eyes again to see what was wrong, but couldn’t manage it.

    “I don’t remember. We had this entire relationship, and she speaks as if I’m the love of her life. But _I don’t remember_ ,” Loki’s frustrated tone made you make a small noise and move a little, stirring back awake.

    “Come, brother. Let her rest. I know her words are unsettling when you don’t remember. She is too exhausted to guard them. You must be aware of that. Do not fault her for being lost to the memories when she spent the evening helping me rebuild them,” Thor’s voice as he was pulling Loki from the room. “Thank you, Lady Valkyrie,” Thor’s voice and then the door was closed, the dark room pulled you into sleep dreaming of days long passed.


	5. Chapter 5

    Instead of focusing on the happy memories of your childhood, your dumbass brain decided it was going to show you the second most awful day of your life. Thanks dumbass brain. You really needed more pain right now.

     _It was actually a bittersweet day. It was the day after you turned 100, and the first time you had to leave Loki. “You really have to leave?” Loki asked when you left your suite that morning, your travel pack in your hands. He looked so small and sad, a thin teen with short black hair._

     _“I don’t want to anymore than you want me to,” you reminded him softly._

     _“I could order them to let you stay, finish your training here,” Loki suggested, hesitant. He didn’t like using his royal privilege. Especially this time when you both knew it wouldn’t work._

     _“Lohk, you know I have to go to the city of the Valkyries and take the trials,” you reminded him patiently. It wasn’t any easier on you than him._

     _“I know, but a year? You’ve been training your entire life, how can the trials last a year?” he complained. He’d tried to research what the trials entailed, but they were a secret and he couldn’t find out anything except that they were a year long._

     _“You know I don’t know any more than you do,” you had joined him for countless hours in the library trying to find out anything about what the next year of your life would contain. “I know it’ll be hard, but it’s only a year. I swear I’ll write, and we can visit through illusions. It won’t be that bad,”_

     _“Kyrie, you’re leaving me alone with the oaf and his annoying friends!” Loki whined. You laughed in reply._

     _“You’ll be so busy you won’t even have time to miss me. Your Father has said that he is adding boring court studies and how-to-rule lessons to your magic and fighting lessons. You’ll be just as busy as I am,” you reminded him._

     _“Darling, that will not make it any better. More lessons and no you to commiserate with?” he teased, but you saw the hurt in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose his best friend for a whole year anymore than you wanted to leave him._

     _“We’ll commiserate together over illusions,” you promised. Your magics were both strong enough to make the reach. You sighed heavily. “It’s almost dawn. I need to get down to the stables before Mother comes to find me,”_

     _“I’ll walk down with you,” Loki jumped to offer. You walked in silence down toward the stables. Neither of you had words for how much this year was going to suck, or how to properly say goodbye. Loki stopped you before you had made it to the stables and turned you by the shoulders to face him. He was only a scant inch taller than you. You looked up into his sad green eyes. “I’m going to miss you, little Valkyrie,” he told you as you dropped your pack to wrap your arms around his thin waist._

     _“I’m going to miss you too,” you told him softly. You couldn’t remember spending more than a couple days without seeing him, ever. The time you were both grounded to separate cells in the dungeons didn’t count since you spent the entire time making funny faces to the other across the hall between the cells and writing messages in magic so the other could read them across the hall._

     _You don’t know how long you stood there, just holding each other with tears in your eyes._

     _“Y/N! I know you’re around here somewhere saying goodbye to the Prince, but we have to go!” You heard your mom’s voice from the stables proper._

     _You sighed heavily and stepped out of Loki’s arms, bending to pick your pack up again. You stood again to face Loki, to tell him one final goodbye. His cold fingers were suddenly under your chin, gently tilting your face up. “I do apologize for taking advantage of your hands being full, but I would prefer that you do not stab me for simply making sure you do not forget me while you are away,” he said with a smirk._

     _“Lohk,” you protested whatever the silly Trickster was planning. He leaned down the scant inch and kissed you lightly, a gentle, tentative first kiss, nothing more than his soft lips meeting yours. It was still perfect._

     _“Do not forget me while you are away, little Valkyrie,” he breathed, when he had broken the kiss, his lips scant centimeters from yours._

     _“Never, my prince,” you replied just as softly, dazed with pleasure at your first kiss._

     _“Y/N!” your mother’s voice called more loudly this time. You and Loki both laughed as you separated. He walked with you the rest of the way to the stables and helped you tie your pack onto the saddle of your horse. You said one last goodbye and swung into the saddle lightly._

     _“Safe travels, Lady Valkyrie, Kyrie,” Loki bid you politely, formally, stepping back from the horses, the perfect image of the polite reserved prince._

     _“Thank you, your highness,” you both bid him in reply. You waved to him one last time before he was out of your sight._

    *

    You jolted awake to the crash of thunder. Storms always woke you, ever since you were a small child. Not for your sake, but for Loki’s. You jumped from your bed and ran across the hall, an automatic response. The habit had been broken some in the last 900 years, the storms still woke you, usually just with a thought of Loki, but... Loki was here.

    Loki despised storms with every fiber of his being.

    You burst into his room without knocking, not at all surprised that his warding on the room didn’t stop you or even give token resistance.

    He was huddled in a small ball on his bed, hiding under the blankets. Just where you knew he’d be. Loki didn’t just hate storms. He was terrified of them. At least in the dark of night. He could grit his teeth and stand them during the day. You told no one of his secret, though Thor knew of course.

    You climbed up onto Loki’s bed and found him under the blankets, pulling him into your arms. He didn’t struggle or protest, just made a whimper at the next crash of thunder. “Shh, love, I have you, you’re safe,” you told him, rubbing his back and running your fingers through his hair while he clutched onto you.

    “Kyrie?” he mewed softly without opening his eyes.

    “Of course, love. I’m here,” you waved a hand to send an illusion to go wake Thor and make him move the storm along. Another wave of your hand had a shield around Loki’s bed, blocking out the sounds of the storm. A third had a pot of tea and two teacups on a tray on his bed next to you for when he had calmed. You don’t know how long you sat with him while he held onto you whimpering and scared, but he eventually soothed when he couldn’t hear the storm anymore.

    He opened his eyes and blinked quickly, confused. “What’s-?” he started as he sat up, letting go of you, flushing.

    “There was a storm,” you told him gently as you shifted to sit cross-legged and pulled the tea tray between you on the bed. You poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him before you poured your own.

    “Tea and chocolate cake?” he asked with a smile. You smiled in reply.

    “A cureall according to your Lady Mother,” you replied with a fond smile. You all had spent many a night hiding from nightmares with Frigga and her cureall of tea and chocolate cake. It was also effective against bruises, skinned knees, broken hearts, Odin being scary, and Thor’s friends being mean.

    Loki had a fond smile as he clearly remembered all of the times that Frigga had used that particular cureall as well. “Impressive shield,” he commented, looking over your work. “I never would have thought of a sound shield,”

    “That’s because you don’t want to be attacked in your sleep, so you won’t risk losing your ability to hear beyond the shield,” you reminded him. He inclined his head.

    “Speaking of,” he gave you a look and gestured around you, questioning how you were even in his shielded room.

    You giggled at his ridiculous question. “There’s a couple reasons, but your shields stopped recognizing me as a potential threat well over 900 years ago,” he raised an eyebrow in question. You sighed and flipped your bare arm over so he could see your Valkyrie tattoo properly. “This is one of them,” you explained. The actual Valkyrie symbol was a legitimate tattoo, but under that was a magical sigil of your official assignment which changed when assignments did. Most of the Valkyries just said ‘Asgard’, some said specific missions, your mother’s often read ‘spy’, and many were assigned to specific people. You had only ever had one assignment, and had sworn to it the day after your 101st birthday, the day you passed the trials and returned home to Asgard.

    Loki just stared at the sigil of his name on your wrist. “You were sworn to my personal service?” he asked as he reached out to touch the sigil, as if not quite trusting his eyes. He didn’t remember and couldn’t quite believe that he had been important enough to have his own Valkyrie, though he was a prince and due the honor because of his station.

    You nodded and took your wrist back from him. “I _am_ sworn as your personal Valkyrie, and have been since the day I passed the trials,” you corrected him firmly.

    He cracked a smile as he nodded, accepting your correction. “Of course, my apologies, Lady Valkyrie,” his words were formal, but his tone light and teasing.

    “Accepted, your highness,” you teased right back. The storm had finally ended, so you waved your hand to dismiss the shield.

    “Thank you for keeping me company through the storm,” he told you softly. He hated appearing vulnerable, though seemed to accept the fact that of course you knew and of course you’d come to help.

    You offered him a warm smile. “Tea and chocolate cake really is a cureall, and I never mind keeping you company,” you added a little hesitantly.

    “It’s rude of me to ask so soon after you helped Thor...” Loki started. You set your cup of tea back on the tray, moved the tray aside, and edged closer to him on the bed, without him having to say another word.

    “Of course I’ll help,” you told him automatically. You had just been waiting for some indication that he wanted you to. “It won’t be as hard to help you as it was to help that idiot brother of yours, who doesn’t have a single drop of magic and yet can’t stay out of my way while I’m meddling with his mind. You at least have magic and know how to help, or at the very least stay out of my way,” you grumbled as you reached your hands up to Loki’s temples. He laughed at your assessment of his brother. “Ready?” you asked, the word also asking permission. It was important to have firm permission before messing with someone’s mind.

    “Yes,” was his simple reply. You looked into his eyes and placed your fingers against his temples as you sank into your power to begin the process of fixing memories all over again. Again, Frigga’s work was extensive, but again, she had left you a trail to undo what she did. It just took _forever_ and a ton of power, easily as much as it had to do this with Thor, only because the memories Frigga had had to cover up had been so much more extensive. There were a lot more of them, and while Thor had loved you like a sister, Loki obviously had loved you as more, and the deeper emotions had been harder to hide and took more power for you to unhide. Loki was there to help you, though, offering power, burning away Frigga’s magic where he could, but a lot of this was outside of his ability to help, Frigga really had designed this mess so Loki couldn’t break through it and remember you when he wasn’t supposed to.

    You didn’t pry, just as you hadn’t with Thor, but that didn’t keep you from seeing the last memory and you were going to curse all of the gods and potentially slap Odin for having to bear this memory from three different perspectives now.

     _Loki begged and pleaded, sobbed for Frigga to help him, for Odin not to send you away. It wouldn’t happen again, he’d keep the secret. He’d do anything to keep you from being exiled. But it was no use. Odin was firm and despite that you were both sobbing, he did not give in._

     _“I won’t forget you, I promise, I won’t forget!” Loki swore up and down, tears falling freely as he reached for you. You managed to reach him just enough to touch his fingertips with yours._

     _“I’ll remember for both of us,” you promised instead. He wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. Frigga was too strong at magic and you both knew it. Odin eventually had to shove you bodily into the Bifrost. Loki saw you fight against it, but there was no stopping Odin’s will._

    I won’t forget _, he thought to himself over and over as he fought and fought hard against Frigga’s magic. He fought valiantly, but she overwhelmed his attempts to shield his mind to defend himself, to hold any of the memories of his childhood, and more importantly of you. The very last one she stole was the exact feeling of your lips on his as he held you in the alcove._

    I’m sorry, darling _her voice was in his mind._ Your father has left none of us a choice. Please, someday, I hope you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for what I had to do.

     _“Mother, why are we at the Bifrost?” Loki asked softly when his mind cleared again, roughly wiping the tears from his cheeks. Allergies? Some annoying prank of Thor’s with pepper or some spicy food more likely. Why couldn’t he remember?_

    *

    You yanked your hands away from Loki’s temples, breaking the contact and the spell. You fiddled with the teapot while Loki wiped his tears away in the present. “You should know this, but don’t try to remember all at once. That’s a lot of memories to go through. Give it time,” you reminded him softly, swaying a little. It had taken more magic than you’d expected. You thought Loki would be able to help more than he had. You should have known Frigga’s spell would be thorough to block his magic from breaking it to keep him from remembering. So now that the focus and magic had faded from that spell, you were back to fading too fast, twice in the same evening. Great. This really wasn’t a common occurrence and had you not been fighting against Frigga, it wouldn’t have happened tonight either. Also if either of the princes had an ounce of patience between them...

    “Thank you,” he told you softly, his voice full of so many emotions you couldn’t quite name. His vision finally seemed to clear and he looked at you, as you tried to steel yourself to get off of the bed. Making it across the hall was totally a feasible task. Totally. He chuckled and gently laid you down on the bed. That wasn’t helping you get across the hall. “There is plenty of bed for both of us. It’s late and been a long night for both of us, just stay here tonight, for sleep.” he added firmly, reassuringly. “You’re safe with me, little Valkyrie.” You were supposed to protest...for some reason, but you couldn’t remember why. Something about propriety? Formality? You couldn’t remember so it must not be important. Plus there really was plenty of bed. So you settled more comfortably in the blanket Loki draped over you, your head on the pillow that already smelled like him and were asleep before you had consciously decided to stay.

    Though to be fair, you weren’t consciously deciding anything.


	6. Chapter 6

    “Kyrie darling, you might want to wake up before the oaf comes looking for us again,” Loki’s voice was warm as his cold hand was on your shoulder, shaking you gently awake. It didn’t take much, you were usually a light sleeper. You opened your eyes and saw that Loki was sitting against the headboard propped up with pillows, a book in his hands. For a moment it was just like old times.

    You sat up a little shyly, 900 years had passed, you weren’t kids taking a nap after lessons anymore. You had both changed over the centuries. The question was how much? The more important question was if there was still enough of a spark to rekindle your relationship or even your friendship after all of this time?

    You gave him a mischievous smirk. “I guess I have some skills that are useful to you in the bedroom after all,” you teased, testing the waters to see if your friendship was still welcome after all of this time.

    “So it appears,” he replied, but the smirk and glint in his eyes gave his amusement away. You both burst into laughter. Maybe, just maybe.

    “Thanks for letting me stay. You really didn’t have to,” you told him as you got out of the bed. You did need to leave before Thor came looking for you again. Explaining why you were in Loki’s room first thing in the morning was not something you really felt like doing. To anyone. But most especially not to Thor who would completely misunderstand.

    Loki stood too, setting his book aside. “It was no trouble. The least I could do was make sure you were safe while you slept, you did me a couple of large favors last night, for which I thank you as well. Mother’s magic was difficult and tricky, as I would expect from her. The assistance with it was much appreciated,” his voice was bordering on too formal, too shy, as if you were strangers. Which you essentially were again...

    It was so hard knowing him so well and not at all.

    “Of course. Though I really should sneak out of here before we have to try to explain to Thunderhead why I spent the night here. That is _not_ a conversation I wish to have...” you teased. He flushed a little.

    “Nor I,” he replied. With a smirk he waved his hand and there was an explosion somewhere in the tower. “That should buy you some time,” he grinned at you.

    “Thanks, Lohk!” you replied and darted from the room with a wave. “See you at breakfast!” you added and closed the door behind you before he could protest that he wasn’t hungry or wasn’t going to hang out with Thor and his idiot friends.

    You ducked into your room, changed into clean clothes, and grabbed your phone before strolling downstairs to see what the plans were for breakfast.

    Since everyone else was dealing with the explosion, you made breakfast. You also made sure to mark it on the tally next to the stove that you had made the meal. You tried to take turns and the tally board was to make sure things didn’t get too unfair with everyone’s hectic schedules. There was a separate tally board next to one of the windows in the window which currently read ‘5 days since last defenestration’. Bruce had stubbed his toe, which pissed off the Hulk, which led to Tony being thrown through the window while trying to calm him down. No one ever said life in the Avenger’s tower was peaceful or normal.

    The team started filing in just as you set the ginormous stack of pancakes and overflowing plate of sausages on the table. Seriously, you could have fed an army with how much food you made. It should be barely enough to feed three Asgardians, two super soldiers, one Bruce who ate like the Hulk half the time, and the two humans who somehow ended up on the team. Loki was the last one to file into the room, looking put-upon at having to come downstairs and completely disinterested in everyone and everything. You saw it was a facade, an overexaggeration of his natural shyness.

    The platters of food were passed around the table after everyone had taken their normal seats, leaving Loki to take the empty chair next to yours. “Do either of you know how Stark’s lab mysteriously blew up this morning?” Thor asked calmly, suspecting Loki first, and you by association.

    “No,” you and Loki lied blandly. The trick to a good lie was to keep it simple. The entire table looked at you, but since you two were the human-shaped lie detectors and you weren’t telling on the other, they were just out of luck. They didn’t trust either of you, but they couldn’t prove either of you were behind the mysterious explosion either.

    “Kyrie, what is this mortal food?” Loki asked you as you handed him the plate of pancakes. His tone had a sneer of disdain of anything Midgardian to it.

    “They’re called pancakes, and you will say you like them if only because I made them,” you told him too pleasantly. He looked over at you, surprised by the threat, but inclined his head and gave you the very barest of smiles.

    “Verily. I am sure I will thoroughly enjoy them,” he replied, accepting your threat at face value. Smart man.

    “Are we sure she didn’t poison them?” Stark asked softly. You threw a dagger down toward his end of the table.

    “I’m a _warrior_ Stark. If I’m going to kill you it won’t be by poison,” you told him calmly, vanishing the dagger before it actually hit him. He still fell out of his chair to avoid it. You calmly set to work eating your pancakes. You saw Loki’s look of pleasure and that was before you pointed out that they were better with syrup. He looked suspicious, but tried it and agreed with your assessment that pancakes were better with syrup.

    “Loki, Y/N, after breakfast you have training downstairs,” Cap started. You both glared over at him. “We need to know the extent of your skills so we can see how you’ll fit in the team. Y/N, we know some of your abilities. I want a proper benchmark,”

    So after breakfast you made your way down to the training room grumpily. You didn’t want to do this. Thor and Cap came with you. You had a feeling the others would be down shortly to see the display. Loki was trying to show he’d made amends or was at least not evil, or else he would just be hiding somewhere with a book. You didn’t blame him either. Hiding somewhere with a book sounded way preferable to letting them see your _actual_ skills.

    You changed to yoga and a sports bra as you walked and tied back your hair. You didn’t bother with gloves, you were sparring Loki or Thor. They’d be fine working with you. “Have you been practicing, your highness?” you asked Loki, almost teasing but there was seriousness behind the question too.

    “Have you?” he countered defensively. He was in sweat pants and a t-shirt. You gave him a tentative smile. He didn’t return it, so formal and stiff, an air of anger and hurt around him.

    So you began the first move of the warmup drills that you had been practicing since you could stand. They could be practiced alone or with a partner. You waited after the first move to see if Loki would jump in with the counter move, like he had done so many times before. His body moved without conscious thought and the dangerous dance began. You started slow, but the speed increased quickly as you both proved your skills had only improved over the centuries. You actually saw Loki smile in front of the others as you sped your way through the warmup drills.

    The daggers came out seamlessly between two sets of drills. Cap started to say something, but Thor clapped him on the shoulder. “They’re fine,” Thor told him. You barely registered the words, focused on what you were doing with live blades. “These are just warmup drills. Neither of them are in any danger from this,”

    “These are _warmups_?” Cap asked incredulously as the speed increased yet again, your blades blurring they were moving so fast. You grinned in delight at having a proper partner for the drills. The daggers vanished, replaced by bladed sticks between one move and the next. Wood and metal clacked and clanged as you moved.

    “Asgardians are warriors, and Y/N is a Valkyrie, one of our most elite. I would not expect Loki to win in a true fight against her. She’ll hold back for warmup drills, even though they look like they’re fighting full out, neither of them are,” Thor explained. The pace slowed with the drills switched to swords. The sword wasn’t Loki’s weapon, or your best, so you slowed the pace for the sword drills.

    The drills ended and you vanished your blades. You gave Loki a small bow, which he returned. Thor tossed you both towels, which you used to wipe away the sweat. “Show him what you can really do, Kyrie,” Thor bid you loudly.

    “What about me?” Loki demanded grumpy that Thor was paying attention to you and not him.

    “I know what you can do, brother,” Thor boomed his laugh. “I am sure your bout with Kyrie will be spectacular.” You knew there was no way out of this, so you stepped back to the middle of the training room, vanishing your towel. Loki joined you, looking equally resigned. The bout was as spectacular as Thor imagined. You and Loki fought with extremely similar styles, since you’d learned to fight together. You matched his speed and power, but knew that you had the edge. For the sake of the demonstration, you held back. “Faster, Kyrie. Stop holding back!” Thor called, calling you out on your hesitation to fight full-out.

    “This is just a demonstration,” you growled back at him as you spun and dodged and jabbed. You were keeping magic out of this match, that wasn’t the point of the demonstration.

    “Like you mean it!” Cap ordered.

    Loki snarled and moved faster, forcing you to as well. He wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace, not against a Valkyrie. For all that he was an _excellent_ fighter and had done nothing but gain skill over the centuries. He couldn’t win this. You had only improved over the centuries as well.

    So you pushed your body to limits you hadn’t had to use since the trials, but you remembered and your body remembered. Remembered the speed and power that lived at the edge of desperation. You remembered it and used that power to end the bout. Loki was on his back with you straddling his chest, a dagger to his throat.

    “Yield,” he said, anger and resignation in his tone. You vanished your blade and got off of him, offering him a hand when you stood. He ignored it and you and got to his feet on his own. You made your way over to Thor and the collection of water bottles.

    “Satisfied?” you asked Cap seconds before you downed the entire bottle of water in one gulp.

    “Yes, that’s enough for today. Good job,” Cap replied. Thor’s arm was over your shoulders in an old friendly gesture. You kissed his cheek automatically.

    “I’m need a shower. I’m gross now,” you told him, as you ducked out from under his arm before he got gross too. You looked through the big window of the training room and saw that the rest of the team was standing there staring open mouthed. “How long have they been there?” you asked Thor.

    “Since you started the first warmup drill,” he replied jovially. “Our friends are impressed with your skills, little Valkyrie,” he added with a smile.

    “So it appears,” you weren’t sure that look of shock quite equated being impressed. It more looked like terror. Except Nat. She was impressed.

    “You’ll have to teach me some of those moves!” she called as you walked past to head back up to your room and its shower. She was grinning with excitement at the prospect.

    “I will!” you replied with a grin as the elevator doors slid shut. A short trip upstairs and you were back in your room under a way too hot shower. It took that way too hot shower to make sure your muscles wouldn’t seize up after that bout.

    Clean and dressed again in boring jeans and a t-shirt. You skipped the gloves. The others knew not to touch you, so you didn’t have to wear the uncomfortable things. You headed back downstairs with your book.

    Thor and Loki were having some kind of fight in the kitchen. Typical. Stark jumped in, taking Thor side and saying something rude about Loki that you didn’t quite catch. Something along the lines of getting beaten up by a girl maybe? Or some snide comment about New York. Either way, you could tell from Stark’s expression the moment he said it that even _he_ knew it was beyond a reasonable about of hurtful. You saw the hurt in Loki’s eyes, hidden behind anger and his court mask as he stormed from the room. You grabbed his arm when he started to storm past you. “Lohk, wait, Stark’s an ass, but doesn’t really mean it. Just ignore him,” you told him when he turned and glared at you.

    “Why won’t you just _leave me alone_!?” he snarled at you with such venom and anger in his voice that you dropped his arm like he had shocked you, though that was Thor’s power, not his. “I’m not a child any longer. I’m not a puppy that needs coddling and constant care. I am a prince of Asgard!” he snarled, the reign on his temper completely gone. You’d seen him lose his temper before of course, but not like this, and never at you, not in earnest.

    “I-” you started to protest that he was your best friend and of course you wanted to make sure he was ok, but the sigil on your arm burned and flashed a warning. He was so angry and didn’t want you. He didn’t want the reminder of the childhood he should have remembered, of the happiness that had been taken from him. Not right now, maybe not ever... So you did what you had to, what duty and honor demanded. “Yes, of course. My apologies, your highness,” you stammered the apology, automatically taking a step back and bowing your head. The sigil on your arm burned and flashed again in warning. “A-as you wish.” You didn’t bother gathering your book before you fled with as much dignity as you could muster.

    Maybe that spark wasn’t as there as you’d thought...

    You knew it had been wrong to hope.


	7. Chapter 7

    You weren’t surprised when there was a knock on your door later. “Go away Thor,” you called through the door automatically. You were sitting against the door with your knees to your chest and knew who it was by how hard the door banged against your head when he knocked.

    “No, Lady. I am not leaving you to be miserable because of something my brother did,” Thor called back through the door.

    You sighed heavily. “Not right now, Thor,” you said wearily and put your head back on your knees, where it had been before Thor banged the door into it. You were tired and hurt and didn’t want to play with Thor right now. He was loud and annoying and demanding.

    “Kyrie, don’t make me do it,” Thor told you, sounding sad.

    “You wouldn’t,” you replied grumpily, refusing to move until he made you. Unfortunately, he could do just that, and he knew it.

    “Kyrie,” he warned again.

    “Fine,” you growled before he could issue the order. You stood and opened the door before he could pull rank and give you an order that duty demanded you follow. You didn’t bother trying to hide that you’d been crying. “What do you want, Thor?” you asked him, just as wearily. He didn’t answer, just bent and threw you over his shoulder. “THOR!” you shrieked and hit his back, hard. “Put me down!”

    “No. I told you I am not leaving you to be miserable. Just because Loki said some hurtful words does not mean the rest of us do not wish to see you,”

    “Thor, they all hate me,” you growled at him. “Besides Nat anyway,” you amended grudgingly.

    “No, they do not. And Loki won’t be there. He has decided to hide in his room too, but since he is in the wrong, you’re the one who gets my company today,”

    “Lucky me,” you grumbled.

    “Verily,” Thor agreed pleasantly. “You forget, little Valkyrie,” Thor’s voice had gotten too loud, like he was expecting that Loki was on the other side of his bedroom door eavesdropping. You saw that Loki’s bedroom door was cracked open and you would bet he _was_ eavesdropping. “While the Valkyrie _are_ duty bound to defend the throne, we also have duties to our beloved Valkyrie as their well-being are _our_ responsibility. Especially those Valkyrie that are sworn to personal service. Since my brother is incapable of doing his duty, it falls to me,” Thor announced, still too loudly.

    “I’m still going to stab you,” you growled, but stopped actively trying to fight him. He was right and you knew it. It was a give and take relationship between the Valkyrie and who they were sworn to protect. The members of the royal family also safeguarded the well being of the Valkyrie in general, so Thor was entirely in the right. You hated when he was right.

    He shrugged, which was quite unsettling when you were over his shoulder. “It would not be the first time,”

    “The last time was 900 years ago,” you growled grumpily at him.

    He chuckled. “I believe the last time was when you were sick. You insisted on doing your duty to Loki and escorting him to whatever event Father had decided needed doing that evening,”

    “There was a diplomat Loki had to meet,” you reminded him. “Someone from one of the archaeological digs,”

    “It didn’t matter to you that you had a raging fever, which I’m _still_ impressed you managed to hide from Loki by the way,”

    “He was too interested in seeing what books the archaeologist brought with him,” you explained. Loki had been preoccupied that day and hadn’t noticed your state. You hadn’t enlightened him either and had actively hid just how sick you _had_ been. It would have discredited him to not have his Valkyrie at his side. You were a status symbol for him as well, though someone _could_ have subbed for you since you really were that sick. You hadn’t trusted them to do your job as well as you would. You loved Loki. Someone who didn’t would clearly not do as good of a job protecting him.

    “I believe he expected you to say if you were too ill, which he found out the hard way was a mistake. Especially when you collapsed on the way back from meeting the diplomat. And proceeded to stab me for carrying you to bed,”

    “In my defense, I was pretty delirious with fever,”

    “I reminded you then that our Valkyries are in the care of the throne,” Thor said.

    “Fine, you made your point. Now will you put me down?” you grumbled, hating being carried like this.

    “No,” Thor replied jovially. You growled and slapped his back again grumpily. He was laughing as he carried you to the elevator. He didn’t set you down until he reached your couch. He set you down on the couch and told you firmly to stay there. You glared and stuck your tongue out at him.

    Nat started talking about some of the moves you had pulled during the demonstration earlier and got you talking. Clint and Tony were in the room too. Tony was playing on one of Jarvis’ screens and Clint was killing some kind of monster on a video game on the TV. Thor came back a minute later with two giant bowls of ice cream.

    “Midgardian tradition is that this is the proper comfort food for sad emotions,” he told you proudly as he handed one to you. You took the bowl automatically, but hesitated.

    “You know I can’t eat ice cream,” you reminded him softly. He should know better.

    He smiled warmly. “In public, perhaps. But here, you are among friends, and family. Nothing to fear,” he told you. You sighed and realized you had drawn too much attention to yourself. So you shoved the first spoonful of ice cream into your mouth. It wasn’t something you had often, and you savored it, even as you shivered and your skin turned blue, your Jotun form taking over at the cold. Ice cream always had that effect. Why was ice cream so perfect for sad emotions? “Loki will come around,” Thor told you, not seeming affected at all by your sudden Jotuness. Nat tried to be unaffected, but she didn’t do quite as good of a job. The rest were openly staring.

    “I’m not so sure of that,” you admitted softly, staring at the sigil on your wrist which was fainter than it had been that morning. “He was pretty pissed.” You had a bad feeling he was going to completely reject you, and you’d not only have lost your home, and your love, but also your status and position.

    “He just found out his entire life was a lie. Again. He historically does not do well with such revelations. The last time he took over Asgard, tried to kill me, and fell from the Bifrost into the abyss,” Thor reminded you. You had heard the story. “Give him time. He’ll come around once he realizes that he’d rather have the entire future with you than mourn over the last 900 years you should have had,”

    “I hope you’re right,” you told Thor softly.

    Then Tony decided that saying the word ‘smurfette’ was a good idea. He was somehow surprised when you were on your feet a moment later and he was flying through the window.

    *

    A month passed with barely any words from Loki. He would barely even look at you. You didn’t say more to him than a polite greeting, giving him the space and time he needed. It was killing you.

    “She won’t even speak to me after what I said and she’ll barely look at me!” you heard Loki yelling at Thor one day.

    “I believe the term is ‘duh’, brother,” Thor replied calmly, nearly gently.

    “What do you mean, ‘duh’?” Loki growled. “I hurt her and now she doesn’t want me anymore,”

    “She wants nothing else but your friendship, and more, you fool. She loves you still and has never stopped. But if you want the relationship to mend, _you_ will have to be the one to swallow your pride and initiate the rekindling,” Loki growled again at that, grumbling. “You pulled rank on her and ordered her to leave you alone. She is doing her duty and doing exactly that, though it is killing her to do,” Thor told Loki hotly. “Since you have been too self-absorbed to notice anything but your own self-pity, let me enlighten you on some things. Your sigil is vanishing from her skin. If you do not make amends soon, you will lose her forever. Yes, what Father did was awful to both of you. But do you want to ruin any future happiness by shunning her now that you finally have her back?”

    Loki’s sigil was fading, it was nearly half-erased already as he was pushing you away. He was denying he even deserved a Valkyrie and pushing you further and further away, so tied up in his pain of betrayal that he didn’t realize he was essentially failing you as a Valkyrie.

    Thor had said he would claim your service if Loki didn’t some to his senses by then, so you wouldn’t be disgraced. It was kind of him to offer.

    “Of course not,” Loki snarled.

    “Then make your amends, brother, and make them soon. Make them before that mark fades, before she goes through with her petition to SHIELD to be transferred. I stalled her once to give you time, but I do not think I can stall her much longer. Or is your pride worth the loss of your closest longest friend? The woman who has loved you your entire life?”

    Loki hesitated a long moment. You should have stopped eavesdropping a long time ago, but you couldn’t, not when they were talking about you. “I don’t know how,” Loki finally admitted softly.

    “Brother, all you ever had to do was ask,” Thor replied kindly, his voice sounding so much like Frigga’s in that moment. It made you smile as you took a couple steps backward and vanished from the room before they saw you and realized you had been eavesdropping.


	8. Chapter 8

    “Kyrie, I have errands to run this morning. Would you come with me?” Thor asked you at breakfast. You glanced at Loki automatically to see if he needed you instead, your duty _was_ to him after all, but he didn’t look up from his breakfast.

    “You need an official escort?” you teased Thor. It was within his rights to ask for an official escort, even though your assignment was to Loki. It was a complicated system.

    He laughed. “Something like that,” he agreed.

    You gave him a look. “You just want me to drive, since you haven’t bothered learning how yet,” you accused.

    “Maybe I would like to spend time with you outside of the tower. Just because you were closer to Loki growing up, we all grew up together and you were basically my little sister,” you kept neglecting that part. He’d been an annoying older brother to you too and always hanging around Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. “You’ve barely left other than missions since you moved in. You’re not on house arrest and you deserve to have fun too. So I would like for you to come with me,”

    “Wait, so he’s your brother, and she’s your sister, and they dated and _no one_ thinks that’s weird?” Tony demanded from the other end of the table. You, Loki, and Thor just stared at him.

    “You do realize none of them are _acutally_ related, right?” Nat asked Tony as if he were stupid.

    “But he just said-”

    “Let me recap for you, shellhead,” you growled, summoning your gloves and putting them on in case you had to defenestrate Tony for being stupid. You saw the barest hint of a smirk on Loki’s face. “Thor and Loki were told they were brothers and grew up as such, not finding out until a couple of years ago that Loki was adopted. I was Loki’s best friend from the cradle. Not sister. Thor treated us both like annoying little siblings. Got it?” you growled, hating defending something so stupid from Tony.

    “Yup, I really don’t feel like crashing through a window this morning. Carry on with your breakfast,” Tony replied quickly. One of these days you were going to break in there and fix everything for him just to annoy the shit out of him. Asgardian technology was years ahead of the stuff in Tony’s lab.

    You finished your breakfast and vanished the plate clean to the cabinet. “Shall we, Lady?” Thor asked, offering you a hand. You placed your gloved hand in his and let him pull you to your feet.

    “Take care of my Valkyrie,” Loki snarled at his brother before you left the room. You hid your smile. He _did_ want to make amends.

    “She is safe in my care, Brother,” Thor replied jovially, giving you too wide of a smile. He knew your reaction, but you gave it anyway.

    You growled. “ _I’m_ the bodyguard here,” you snarled at Thor. It was _literally_ your job and you’d trained for it from birth.

    “Yes, you are, little Valkyrie,” he agreed. You glared. He was giving up too easily. “But my job is still to look out for your well being too,” he reminded you. You glared and grumbled, but didn’t try to argue with him again.

    Instead...

    “Did I tell you guys about the time Thor and his warrior friends nearly got their asses handed to them by the bog monster they _swore_ they could handle by themselves, despite that it was an elemental creature?” you asked the rest of the team innocently. You wouldn’t argue with Thor, but you had _plenty_ of embarrassing childhood stories to share.

    Thor’s warm hand clamped over your mouth, his other arm around your waist. “Enough of that. Come along, Kyrie,” he stopped you from finishing the story, but was chuckling.

    “Tell the story!” Tony protested. You raised your hands in surrender, but Thor dragged you from the room anyway and didn’t let you go until you were nearly at the elevator. You were still laughing when you summoned a light jacket to throw over your t-shirt, though the weather didn’t really require it. You didn’t want the mortals accidentally bumping into you. Also you could hide way more blades under a jacket than under a t-shirt.

    You left the tower hand-in-hand with Thor, just an old familiar casuality to the action, but you caught the jealous look in Loki’s eyes anyway.

    *

    Spending the day out of the tower with Thor was fun. You did have to drive because he still refused to learn how. He was excited to visit all of the Midgardian shops and didn’t really have any errands, but just wanted to get out of the tower. You had a nice lunch at a burger place where you both won their eating challenge and got t-shirts for your effort. Five minutes later there was a sign attached to the eating contest rules stating that Asgardians couldn’t compete. You still had a picture of the two of you up on the wall for winning. He had even dutifully not complained when you wanted to visit the bookstore and then wouldn’t let you leave until you’d picked out an acceptable number of new books to adopt.

    You had to stop to take selfies with people when they recognized Thor. You were still mostly unknown, though you did get mistaken for Lady Loki once. You’d also had to answer a _lot_ of questions about whether you were dating Thor.

    Thor’s phone went ‘Ta-da!’ in Loki’s voice while you were milling around the mall aimlessly. Thor reached in his pocket to check it while you raised an eyebrow at him at his choice of notification noises.

    “Why is _that_ your notification sound?” you asked when he put the phone back in his pocket. You also wanted to know what the message was, but that would be rude to ask. He wasn’t sharing either.

    “Stark set it up,” Thor grumbled. “And I have not yet figured out how to change it,” he pouted.

    You wandered a couple more stores before Thor announced that he was tired of shopping and ready to head home. You agreed. It was after lunchtime, and you were tired of dealing with Thor’s fans. When you arrived back at the tower, you vanished all of your books up to your room to sort through later instead of trying to carry them.

    “Thor, Y/N, we need you in Lab C,” Cap’s voice came over Jarvis’ PA system when you and Thor stepped into the elevator to head back into the tower proper.

    “What’s going on?” you asked.

    “Just get here,” Cap replied. You looked over at Thor, who just shrugged. You had a dagger in your hand before you got to the lab and stepped in front of Thor to enter first. You weren’t letting him put himself in danger unnecessarily. He stepped back, letting you take your proper guard position.

    You opened the door to the lab and just stared in shock.

    You stepped through the doorway, still in awe. You just couldn’t believe it.

    There were tears of joy in your eyes, of disbelief, shock, awe, astonishment.

    You were _home_.

    The lab and whatever its usual contents had been were gone. Instead a room you hadn’t seen in 900 years was waiting for you. It was technically one of Loki’s sitting rooms, but it had become a shared space by the time you were 10. It was just as much yours as his. You spent _so_ very much time here, nearly every single free moment you’d had growing up on Asgard.

    It was perfect. The plush rugs on the tiled floor, the couches in front of the fireplace, with their end tables and lamps, bookshelves along the wall, the desk big enough that you could both work at it, currently holding a selection of books and papers and the ever present pitchers of mead and fruit juice, weapons rack on a separate wall, the giant glass doors leading out onto the balcony. The lighting was perfect, the feel of the slightly sea scented air was perfect, the golden hue from the surrounding city was perfect. It even _smelled_ like home.

    You hadn’t been here in 900 years, but it was still _home_. You couldn’t express how it felt to be here after so long.

    Every single tiny detail was absolutely perfect.

    Including the Loki who was uncurling himself from his couch, closing his book carefully, dressed in a green Asgardian tunic and black pants. He had a small tentative smile. “Surprise, Kyrie-love,” he greeted you warmly, the even more pet name of your old nickname sliding effortlessly off of his silver tongue.

    You ever so vaguely noticed Thor closing the door, having not entered the room, giving you your privacy. Damn older brother had kept you out of the tower while Loki was crafting this surprise.

    You had your hand to your mouth, had unconsciously used magic to change into an Asgardian style tunic and leggings of your own, had unconsciously vanished the dagger, and took another step into the room. “How-?” you managed softly, stunned beyond words.

    Loki smiled and stepped over to you. “D-do you like it?” he asked nervously. It was an understandable response. You were so shocked you could barely speak and had tears of joy in your eyes. Easy to misinterpret.

    “Lohk, it’s perfect!” you told him, staring around in awe. You finally turned your attention to the man instead of the wonderful gift.

    He was talking to you again!

    “Darling, I am so, so, sorry. I never should have treated you like that just because I was angry and hurt by the Allfather. I hope you might find it in your heart to forgive me,” Loki told you with a vulnerability you hadn’t seen from him in too many years to count. “It’s not much, and I can’t keep it going more than a day, but I thought you would appreciate the token of a taste of home,” he gestured around the room. “I do not wish to lose your love, we have already lost too much time as it is, and I pray I have not done so already. I sincerely hope someday you will forgive me enough to take me back...”

    Before he could finish that thought, you had closed the last of the distance between you, your arms around his neck, your fingers wound in his hair, and, after the briefest hesitation for consent, your lips met his for the first time in years.

    You really were _finally_ home.


	9. Chapter 9

    By the time your lips _finally_ parted, both your lips and his were blue, as were your arms, his neck, anywhere your bare skin had been in contact with his. It had to have been at least a good twenty minutes that you’d been kissing him for you both to start turning blue. Even _your_ control was better enough to keep you both from turning blue otherwise.

    You both laughed as you breathed frost.

    It only took a minute for your skin to start turning back to normal color, which was definitely a good thing. You didn’t need to advertise your activities to everyone.

    “I missed you so much,” you told him, laying your head on his chest, your arms around his waist, refusing to let him go yet, but making sure your bare skin wasn’t in contact with his for a little while so you could both turn back all the way Asgardian. “I thought I’d never see you again,” you added softly.

    “I’d tell you how much I missed you too, but I was a little busy not remembering you existed...” he said bitterly and grumpily. “Instead, I’ll tell you that these last 900 years were _unbelievably_ lonely without you,”

    “You amused yourself by trying to take over Midgard,” you teased him as you finally took a step back, out of his arms, but just barely.

    “Mind control. Doesn’t count,” he grumbled, but you saw the laughter in his eyes, the joy at your gentle familiar teasing. He had missed this and really was sorry he’d lost even a month of your reunion.

    “I would have beaten some sense into you had I not been in the middle of nowhere Alaska at the time.” You had moved to New York right after the alien invasion. Just in case.

    “Much appreciated,” he said dryly, knowing perfectly well that you would have _literally_ beaten some sense into him. It would have been for his own good. As you’d justified beating sense into him and Thor over the years. Totally your duty to beat sense into them for their own good. You giggled at him in reply. He grinned. “ _There’s_ my little Valkyrie,” his voice was warm, his smile real. He was obviously pleased to see a proper smile and hear a proper giggle from you as well. “Speaking of, before you decide to take care of me by distracting me into forgetting my other crime against you,” his hand snaked out and clamped firmly around your wrist.

    “Loki!” you protested, trying to pull your wrist from his grip without actually hurting him, but his hand was a vice on your arm. He was right and your instinct was still to protect him, even from the consequences of his own actions. He didn’t reply to your protest, just gave you an icy glare for protesting. You glared right back and made a note that you would have to beat that particular expression out of him before he tried to use it on you again. He flipped your wrist over to look at your Valkyrie tattoo and, more importantly, the nearly erased sigil below it.

    “The moronic oaf was right,” Loki’s voice was sad, hurt. “Protocol be damned, you should have told me what I was doing to you,” he growled, hurt and pain in his voice.

    “You know I couldn’t,” you replied softly and tried again to tug your wrist from his grip. He knew damn well what honor and duty had dictated, especially since he was being an ass. “If I weren’t so glad you’re finally speaking to me again, you know you’d be on your ass for not letting me go, right?” you demanded grumpily.

    He sighed heavily, but gave you a smirk at that last comment. “I’m well aware, on both counts,” he replied gently. “Now kindly stop fighting me and let me fix it,” he ordered, though his voice was gentle and there was warmth returning to it. This was just like old times too. You were both stubborn as hell when you felt like it.

    “We need Thor for that. And I’d much rather spend time with you in here than go play with him,” you reminded him, tugging your wrist yet again.

    He rolled his eyes and bopped your nose with the index finger of his free hand. “Stop that,” he scolded lightly. “I’m aware we need my idiot brother to fix this properly, but this should at least help until we can get him involved.” He lifted your arm and placed his cold lips against the sigil mark on your skin. It flashed and what was left of the mark re-solidified, darkening from the nearly faded gray it had turned. Loki finally let go of your wrist and stood again. “That should hold until we get the oaf to witness it properly,” Loki said with a warm smile.

    You leaned up and kissed his cheek with a shy ‘thanks’ as you walked around him to get the pitcher of mead off of the desk, effectively getting you off of this line of conversation. “Lohk, not everyone who isn’t us is a moron,” you reminded him with a smile.

    He nodded as he collected the glasses and met you at the couch. “Mother is not a moron either,” he agreed pleasantly, just like he’d done nearly every time you’d had this conversation. Occasionally he said your mother instead. There was one terrible year where you’d had to put up with his crush on one of the court ladies and _her_ name kept getting inserted there instead. You were grateful when that crush ended.

    You poured the mead and took a glass for yourself, floating the other to Loki automatically. “How did you do all of this? It’s not simple illusions,” you asked as you curled up on the couch, appreciating how the cushions sank in the exact correct manner. Even the mead was perfect. There was nothing else in all of the nine realms that tasted remotely similar to Asgardian mead. You had tried and failed for centuries to find an alternative. “This is impressive,” you praised, gesturing to the room.

    He preened and glowed under the praise. As per usual. “I’m glad my lady is pleased. It’s illusion, mixed with some shapeshifting, a memory charm, and a few other things. I’ll show you how the next time we need an escape,” he offered. You smiled at that, glad he was including you in his future.

    “So, trying to take over Midgard was mind control and doesn’t count. Thunderhead said you also took over Asgard?” you asked as you sipped on your mead. You were sitting with your back against the arm of the couch, facing him.

    He looked sheepish. “Yeah... that one’s on me. So is attempting to kill Thor so he couldn’t take the throne back,” you gave him a look. “I’m not proud of it,” he added quickly. “Though the throne was _technically_ mine. Odin was in the Odinsleep, Thor was banished, Mother was distraught and wouldn’t leave Odin’s side. It was only logical that I assume the throne... and try to destroy Jotunheim...”

    “Loki!” you scolded, but you were laughing at his ridiculous idea of destroying Jotunheim.

    He chuckled. “Mother should have remembered that you were 90% of my impulse control,” he teased.

    “If she had, she might have succeeded in convincing the Allfather to let me stay,” you added.

    “Mayhaps,” he agreed softly. He had a mischievous look when he asked. “Surely you must have some embarrassing stories of things you’ve done over the last 900 years...?”

    You laughed. “Well, I did get burned at the stake once...” you started. He just stared at you incredulously. You set your glass of mead down and rolled up the leg of your leggings so he could see the scar. You were susceptible to fire damage due to your heritage. Loki was the same way.

    “How did they manage to catch _you_?” he demanded after you’d explained the witch hunts, still incredulous as you rolled your pant leg back down. He believed you at least.

    “I was dumb and healed a village full of children of the pox. Instead of thanking me when I was caught doing it, the woman I was living with at the time turned me in instead of risking being accused herself. I had already been there too long, and she was noticing that I don’t age. Unfortunately, I couldn’t escape since they wouldn’t let go of me,” you growled that. He nodded, knowing that you couldn’t have teleported away while they were holding onto you, and you wouldn’t have wanted to give them evidence of _real_ witches. “I made an illusion of the pyre going up quickly and teleported away then, but unfortunately, they had already set me on fire... I haven’t been back to Salem since,” you explained sheepishly. It wasn’t one of your proudest moments.

    You spent the rest of the evening trading stories of your time apart. The pitcher of mead kept refilling itself, dinner appeared while you were talking and you sat on the floor on either side of the coffee table eating while you talked, the fire in the fireplace warm at your back, you curled back up on the couch and soon you were laying on your back, using Loki’s lap as a pillow, casually tossing a dagger in the air and catching it as you spoke, his fingers running gently through your hair.

    You stayed up all night talking, catching up, telling stories, reminiscing about things he remembered, reminding him of things he hadn’t yet, including that awful ill-fated crush. He laid down with you on the couch when the hour got too late, neither of you seemed to notice as you curled yourself comfortably between the back of the couch and his body, nestled in the perfect, comfortable, safe spot there. It was so perfectly ordinary when you summoned the blanket to cover the two of you with. Neither of you thought it strange to when you laid your head on his chest, listening to the rumble as he spoke, when he took his turn to tell a story.

    Neither of you remembered falling asleep that way.

    Just like old times.

    Some things really never changed after all.


	10. Chapter 10

    Intruder!

    The nearly silent turn of the doorknob. No knock. The door sliding gently, carefully open.

    Intruder.

    Someone with honest intentions would have knocked.

    “What the hell? I told Point Break you could use this lab, but-” a man’s voice in the doorway.

    In an instant you were out from under the blanket, had leapt over Loki, and were making your way toward the intruder with a dagger in your hand. Your brain hadn’t woken enough to recognize anything except that your charge was in danger.

    “Smurfette, wait! It’s me! Fuck! Are you even awake?” the intruder demanded. “THOR!” he called, backing away from the door. Was he after Thor too?

    A hand grabbed the back of your tunic and hauled you backwards, back toward the couch. You’d only made it a couple of steps toward the intruder. Loki’s arms wrapped around you, pinning your arms to your side as he pulled you onto his lap, holding you there firmly. “Kyrie-love, there’s no danger. I’m here and perfectly safe,” he purred softly and kissed the spot where your neck met your shoulder.

    “There’s an intruder,” you protested as you blinked quickly to try to wake properly. You finally took in the scene and realized that Tony had snuck into the lab that you and Loki had taken over. Thor was running up to see why Tony was yelling for him. “Oh,” you flushed when you realized that you’d nearly skewered Tony just for entering the room. You vanished the dagger immediately.

    “Awake now, darling?” Loki chuckled as his grip around you loosened. He kissed your cheek, reassuringly.  He wasn't surprised at your reaction.  He was your charge and you had woken enough to sense the danger. The reaction had been automatic and wouldn't have happened at all had Tony bothered to knock.  You would have woken at a proper knock.

    “Sorry,” you murmured. Tony just stared.

    “Is there a problem?” Thor asked from the doorway as you scrambled off of Loki’s lap and stood with him, keeping him a step behind you, just in case.

    “Smurfette decided to try to kill me,” Tony growled, glaring at you.

    “Shellhead decided to try to sneak up on a sleeping Valkyrie,” Loki countered coldly, using his icy bored court tone he took when he was upset with the person he was speaking it. He looked calm, but you saw his hand was curled in the perfect position for a dagger to materialize there.

    “I just wanted to see what he did with my lab!” Tony protested.

    “So you entered without knocking or announcing yourself and snuck inside, probably to see if something embarrassing was going on in here,” Loki’s voice was still cold. You reached out and touched his arm, reminding him silently that he couldn’t kill Tony either.

    “Stark, it is not wise to sneak up on a Valkyrie. They will attack first and ask questions later, especially if they feel their charge is in danger. Knock next time,” Thor told Tony. “You are lucky that Loki managed to stop her." He was luckier that Loki had felt like stopping you and didn't just let you kill the moron.

    “What the hell did you do to my lab?” Tony demanded as he stared in awe at the room, investigating the magic that had created the replica of Loki’s sitting room. “It’s so...real,”

    “It’s magic, Stark,” you told him stiffly. This was supposed to be your safe space and you wanted him out. Thor must’ve seen your expression because he grabbed Stark’s arm and started dragging him from the room.

    “The magic will fade and your lab will return to normal,” Thor told him while Tony spluttered and wanted to stay to investigate. Your attempted stabbing of him was already forgotten. He wanted to investigate the science behind the magic. Thor shoved Tony from the room and turned to you and Loki. “Have your apologies been accepted, Brother?” Thor asked, really asking the pair of you. You both nodded and Loki kissed your cheek again.

    “My Lady Valkyrie is most gracious,” Loki replied, his voice back to being a pleased purr. Loki grabbed your wrist again. You glared and tugged on it. He kissed your forehead, smirking at your ineffective tug, since it was designed to tell him to let you go without hurting him. “Stop that,” he teased you lightly. He turned his attention away from you and back to Thor, showing Thor your wrist. “While you’re here, Brother, I could use your assistance fixing this.” You twisted your wrist from Loki’s grip. He chuckled at your reaction. “Darling, you are aware that it has come to my attention that I have been neglecting my duty by you. Allow me to repair it now,” he told you kindly, warmly.

    You huffed, unused to attention, care, or...kindness after 900 years of not being able to let people get to close, of not being able to touch anyone for their own safety, of being alone and having to rely on only yourself. It was hard to let people back in again.  Except Loki, but he had kisses for bribes and you were slipping quickly back into your old relationship, somehow as if the last 900 years hadn't happened.

    “You should see what Reindeer Games did to the lab!” Tony’s voice was back and soon the entire team was piling into your sanctuary, your taste of home. Everyone was oohing and ahhing and praising Loki’s skills. He flushed, embarrassed over so much praise.

    “We should get that fixed,” Thor said, stepping closer to you and Loki before you could both escape to somewhere more quiet. Neither of you were comfortable around the team, though Nat seemed to have adopted Loki as well as you and Clint was warming up because Nat warmed up. Cap was impressed with your skills, and you had a feeling he would warm up properly when he saw you in action in the field properly.  Thor’s voice was booming, though and the entire team was looking over at you.

    “In front of everyone?” you asked, horrified and flushed in embarrassment. They already thought you were weird. They only vaguely understood that Valkyries were duty bound to the throne, they understood even less that you were assigned to Loki’s service. They didn’t want to know and didn’t dare ask what that meant. They didn’t like it and had a hard time giving either of you a fair chance, though Loki’s behavior hadn’t helped any.

    “The last time was in front of the kingdom,” he reminded you.

    You sighed and glared at him. “ _They_ knew what the ceremony was; they knew the honor that was being bestowed to both Loki and myself by it. They knew exactly the role of the Valkyries bound to personal service,” you reminded him grumpily. The Avengers did not know any of that.

    “We will let them see and then explain it to them. Loki is correct, though, and we need to get that sigil and his mistakes corrected,” Thor told you firmly, but not unkindly.

    You sighed heavily, but he was right. “Fine,” you grumbled. You saw that Nat’s hand was clamped firmly over Tony’s mouth while she and Clint held him. They wanted to see what this was all about and knew they would get booted if Tony made a nuisance of himself. You summoned your formal battle armor, though you hated the flashy white and gold armor with its blue cape, preferring the black set you usually wore.

    Loki kissed you. “Cool that charming blush, darling,” he teased gently. You noted he was in his formal armor as well. You were doing the thing properly. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear, then did something that made your blush get worse instead of better.  His lips against your ear he whispered. "This is the only time I will likely get to say this, so I fear I must take the opportunity.  Kneel before me," his voice was a purr with just a touch of a dark tone to it, a tone very similar to the one from the security tapes you'd watched of the events in Germany, but not that malicious.  Those words in that tone seriously did _not_ help your blush.  You were going to stab him for that later... Loki smirked at your reaction, then added for the room.  “Thor’s friends will not make fun. Or they better not. There is nothing to be ashamed of about a sacred oath,” he added, glancing over at the suspiciously quiet group. “But we need to fix that sigil,” Loki reminded you kindly. You nodded and he took his place beside Thor. You were embarrassed having to do this in front of the others and wanted to stab Thor, but you saw his point that he wanted the others to understand your culture.

    So you stepped forward, dropping to one knee. Both of your arms were extended, holding your dragonfang blade in offering to Thor. Head bowed, you recited the words you hadn’t needed in 900 years. “I am Y/N, a Valkyrie of Asgard, daughter of the famed Valkyrie Sigun. I have trained in the palace of the golden city and have passed the grand trial in the land of Valhalla. I am ready to accept my duty. I offer my services to the throne of Asgard,” the words fell off of your lips and you remembered the day 900 years ago when you recited them to Odin, Frigga on one side of him, Loki and Thor on the other.

    “The throne of Asgard applauds your achievements and welcomes your service, Lady Valkyrie. Your accomplishments and standing have earned you the assignment of personal service to Loki, your prince. Will you accept this honor and this duty, Lady Valkyrie?” Thor asked the words that Odin had, many, many years ago.

    “I accept my duty,” you replied now, just as you had then.

    “Then reaffirm your oaths to my Brother,” Thor was going off script a little, but it wouldn’t matter and the warmth of his tone eased your heart. You glanced up as Thor stepped aside and Loki took his place. You saw the warmth in Loki’s eyes and couldn’t help smiling in return. He wanted this again, wanted you by his side. No, that wasn’t weird on Asgard. Quite a lot of the Valkyrie who were sworn to personal service ended up marrying their charge. Valkyrie weren’t chosen for personal service unless they had a reasonably strong bond with their charge, like you and Loki. Thor didn’t have a Valkyrie yet since he hadn’t gotten to know any of them well enough to accept their service. Plus he was Thor and just didn’t see the need for a bodyguard/advisor/confidant.

    “To my prince goes my faith and my love,” Love wasn’t part of the strictly traditional oath, but when the Valkyrie and her charge were courting already... it got changed to love. “To his blood goes my blade, my shield, and my fist, ever to defend him and his kin. To him I swear my loyalty. On my honor, I swear to be his guide, to be the light in the darkness, his sword, his shield, and protection. I swear my life ever before his. So I swear from this day until my final breath,” you recited the words, looking directly into Loki’s eyes. If you looked at him you could ignore the others watching, just as you had all of those years ago. Though, then, you were so proud of passing the trials and getting the assignment you had so desperately wanted. The honor of your service should have gone to Thor as the eldest, but he had stepped aside so you and Loki would both be happy.

    You turned your blade, drawing it across the palm of your hand before you laid it at Loki’s feet. Blood resealed the oath. Loki knelt, and took your blade in one hand. He took both of your hands carefully and stood, bringing you with him. He used your blade to made the cut across his own hand. He handed your blade back to you and you vanished it, to clean and resheath later, and took your bleeding hand with his, your blood mixing together.

    “I accept your oath and your service, Lady Valkyrie, and swear in return to cherish your company, heed your advice, care for your well being. I swear to you my loyalty and my love, for this day and for every day to come,” he spoke the reply, his eyes only for you. He flipped your hand over and summoned a handkerchief to bind the wound on your hand with. He had already used magic to heal the cut on his, but him binding your hand was part of the ceremony, part of the whole ‘caring for your well being’ part of the oaths. He lifted your arm and bowed over it, placing his lips against the sigil on your wrist again. This time it flashed completely back into existence, stronger than ever. Loki grinned up at you mischievously and stole a real kiss. You smirked at him and stole it right back.

    Thor was chuckling when he announced the resealing of the oaths complete.  He could do it as a representative of the throne.  You'd needed at least one Asgardian witness, which is why the binding hadn't resealed when Loki kissed the sigil earlier.


	11. Chapter 11

    “Did...did they just get married?” Tony demanded. You and Loki both glared over at him. He visibly gulped. You were both still in your armor. With a shimmer of magic you changed back to your comfortable tunic and leggings. You smirked when you realized Loki had done the same, returning to his casual Asgardian clothes too.

    “No,” you replied simply as you took Loki’s hand and flipped it over to make sure he had healed the cut properly.

    “Darling, trust my healing skills for a simple cut,” he scolded you lightly.

    “I have to check,” you reminded him firmly, especially when he flipped your wrist over to make sure the sigil was back in place properly. You huffed at him and rolled your eyes as he used magic to heal the cut on your palm now that the ceremony was over.

    “I have to check too,” he replied just as firmly. You both laughed. It was just like old times.

    “Are we sure that’s really Loki and Y/N?” Stark asked. “They’re _really_ different now,”

    “Can I stab him?” you pouted at Loki, annoyed at Stark for the third time this morning.

    He smirked, took a step back from you and made an elegant gesture toward Tony. “Be my guest, Lady Valkyrie,” you drew a dagger from thin air and took a step towards Tony. Thor’s hand clapped on your shoulder, halting you before you could stab Tony.

    “Why don’t you and Loki go play somewhere quieter? I will entertain my friends,” Thor ‘suggested’. He had made that exact same suggestion many, many times over the years.

    “Fine,” you grumbled and vanished the blade. You kissed Thor’s cheek grumpily and took Loki’s hand. “Breakfast?” you asked him warmly.

    “That sounds like an excellent suggestion,” he replied and kissed your temple. You stepped out of the room while the others just stared at how adorable you were. You changed back to Midgardian clothes outside of the fake Asgard Loki had made.

    “Seriously, are you sure those aren’t imposters? Loki and Y/N are sullen grumpy things. Who are those puke-inducingly adorable people?” Tony demanded. You paused by the door to the lab to eavesdrop.

    You heard sounds of impact. “Stark, you ass. Those are the _real_ Loki and Y/N, the ones who are accepted and loved, not shunned,” Nat’s voice another smack and a yelp from Tony. “I’ve seen that happy side of Y/N before and we’ve caught glimpses of it from Loki,”

    “I have not seen Loki this happy in all the years they were separated, though we did not remember the reason for his change in demeanor and sorrow,”

    “Why are none of you remembering that he tried to take over the world?” Tony demanded. “He’s here on house arrest for us to babysit.” You reached up and touched Loki’s cheek, reassuringly. He gave you a small smile.

    “It was mind control, Stark. We’ve been over this,” Clint replied, surprisingly standing up for Loki. “All the shit we’ve been through, you have to learn to move on. He hasn’t done anything since he’s been here except try to reestablish a relationship with Y/N,”

    You took Loki’s hand more firmly and led him from the lab. That was enough eavesdropping. “Stupid Stark barging into our room,” you grumbled, all of this was ultimately his fault.

    He laughed. “It wasn’t really our room, Kyrie-love. He _was_ just letting me borrow it for the day,” he reminded you.

    “It was ours for the duration of the borrowing,” you grumbled insistently. He laughed harder as you rode the elevator back up to the main floor. You sounded like him occasionally, especially when you said things like that.

    “I think he learned to at least knock,” Loki laughed.

    “Oops...” you really hadn’t meant to almost stab an ally, when he wasn’t actively being an ass anyway.

    “My idiot brother should be explaining the Valkyrie to his idiot friends so that mistake does not happen again. He is perfectly capable of making the explanations so you do not have to feel embarrassed trying to do it yourself.” You stuck your tongue out at Loki for knowing you so well to know that you _would_ have been embarrassed if you’d had to explain your station to the others. They seemed to understand that you were a trained warrior, mage, usually had to obey the orders of the royal family (as long as they were reasonable), and were assigned as a bodyguard to Loki. They _seemed_ to understand, but you weren’t sure they really got it.

    Loki kissed your forehead. “No one will fault you for doing your duty, I least of all,” he reminded you softly.

    “You’re just saying that because my duty is to protect my charge and my charge happens to be you, _your highness_ ,” you teased his title and he laughed.

    “Of course, Lady Valkyrie,” he replied with a small elegant bow. You were both laughing again as you stepped off the elevator.

    You stopped in the livingroom to kiss him lightly. Then with a wicked glint in your eye as his only warning. “I almost forgot,” you commented innocently.

    “Forgot what, darling?” he asked, wary at the glint in your eye. You smirked and with a well-practiced movement, swept one of his legs out from under him. He fell hard to one knee with an ‘oof’, not expecting to be thrown. His chin was in your hand as you bent down over him and tilted his head up to look at you. “You have my attention,” he told you dryly, but didn’t try to move. Smart man.

    “I forgot to remind you that this relationship _only_ works if we are equals in it. I know your little ‘kneel before me’ was a joke, and I know that duty and your rank skews the balance at times, but at the core of our relationship itself, we _have_ to be equals or it will never work,” you reminded him firmly. You’d had a very similar conversation after the last time you went through the Valkyrie-binding ceremony. Granted, you hadn’t been quite so...insistent... that he was listening before delivering your speech last time.

    “Darling, I have never viewed you as anything other than my equal, my best and closest friend. That will never change, especially not because of this,” he took your wrist to kiss the sigil there. “Now may I rise to kiss your properly?” he asked with a smirk. You laughed and nodded, reassured. He rose and you wrapped your arms around his neck to kiss him. You broke it only when both of your stomachs started growling.

    You were laughing as you led Loki to the kitchen and began making breakfast. He watched, fascinated as you worked. He got in the way more than helped, but he was adorable about it, so you didn’t complain.

    “Hey, kid, what’s for breakfast?” Clint asked, coming over to peer at the pan you were working at. His hand reached up automatically to clap your bare arm, a friendly gesture, a casual touch. He had forgotten that you couldn’t be touched. It was easy to forget when Thor and Loki could and did. You jerked away from him, horrified and embarrassed. Loki was between you and Clint in an instant and had grabbed Clint’s wrist, stopping him before he could touch your bare skin.

    “I would not do that, Hawk,” Loki told Clint, not unkindly, just...firmly. He kept hold of Clint’s wrist with one hand and summoned a zippered hoodie in the other. He held the hoodie out to you behind him without turning from Clint.

    “Shit. Y/N, I’m sorry, I forgot,” Clint apologized quickly when he realized what he’d almost done. You took the hoodie from Loki and slipped it on quickly, impressed that he knew exactly what you needed to feel safe. You realized at once that it was one of Loki’s. It smelled like him and was too big, especially the sleeves which went down to your fingertips.

    “It’s ok, Clint, no harm done. Lohk, you can let him go, it was an accident,” you added, since Loki still hadn’t let Clint go. Loki slowly let Clint’s wrist go and you got back to your pan before the breakfast burned. “I’m making French Toast,” you answered Clint’s original question. Loki kissed your cheek, reassuringly. He knew you were embarrassed that you couldn’t be touched by the humans.

    Breakfast was ready soon and the team sat around the table. You watched Loki’s grin of delight after you’d dumped extra cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar on his French Toast, and syrup. He had looked at you doubtfully for doctoring his plate, but had allowed you to do it, trusting your judgment on Midgardian food. He was greatly pleased by the results.

    “Y/N, we’re going through the drills this morning, right?” Nat asked. You nodded.

    “Wanna join us?” you asked Loki. “I’ve been teaching Nat the warmup drills,” you added before he could ask.

    He inclined his head. “I will join you, if you don’t mind the company.” Nat agreed quickly that he was welcome. Clint did the dishes today, so you, Loki, and Nat headed down to the training room. There were two small locker rooms across the hall from the training rooms. Nat ducked into one for a quick costume change. You and Loki just used magic. Fourth outfit for the day and counting, yoga pants, a t-shirt and elbow-length gloves. You were still feeling off from Clint’s mistake earlier and weren’t taking chances with Nat’s safety.

    You walked through the first of the warmup drills with her and Loki graciously partnered her for it so you could focus on correcting her form. After she walked through the first drill, she went to the other half of the large room to pretend to work on something else so you and Loki could get your workout in properly. You smirked as you stripped off your gloves. You didn’t need them to spar with Loki. You moved closer to the center of the room, making sure you had space. “Shall we dance?” you asked Loki, who smirked in reply and bowed to you elegantly.

    “My lady’s wish is my command,” he replied dramatically as he rose. You made the first move of the drills. He made the first counter and the dance began. It was way better working through the drills with him this time. He’d been so angry and hurt the last time you’d gone through them. This time, you could go full out...ok, nearly full out. You knew his strength and skill, knew his speed and saw the joy in his eyes that he had a proper partner to practice with as well. Your drilled ended with a kiss.

    There were shocked applause and gasps from the others who had filtered in while you were working.

    “Thank you for the wonderful dance,” you told Loki warmly. “It was nice to have such a skilled partner again,”

    “The honor was mine,” he replied with a grin. “Now, I get a break, little Valkyries do not,” he teased. You rolled your eyes. You had to work harder to keep up your skills. You _were_ a Valkyrie after all and only kept up your ability through practice. At least you didn’t have to work out _all_ the time.

    “I hate you sometimes,” you grumbled at him while he summoned a book. You knew where this was going and Loki was the _only_ one you’d trust for it.

    “I love you too,” he replied warmly. “It is only to help you, my darling,” he added, still teasing.

    “Not because you want to show me off in front of Thor’s friends,” you grumbled embarrassed, but took the push-up position. You heard Thor’s laugh while the others were going ‘no, she can’t be...’

    “Added benefit,” Loki told you brightly as he settled cross-legged on your back. You rolled your eyes and huffed at him.

    “Fine, silly Trickster. What page are you on?” you asked as you started the first pushup.

    “125,” he replied calmly, as if he had nothing better to do than sit and read his book.

    “You know the drill,” you told him as you worked. He murmured an agreement. He sat reading for a few minutes while you worked. It was a silly, but peaceful activity.

    “How is she-?” came the whispered questions of the group.

    “150,” he announced as he flipped a page.

    “Hold on,” his hand touched the nape of your neck, steadying himself as you switched to using your right arm only, your left curled up on your back. He held your left hand and read with one hand for awhile.

    “No-” came the whispers of the group.

    “175,” Loki announced who knew how long later. He dropped your hand and placed his back on the nape of your neck. You pushed off hard from the ground and switched hands before you hit the ground again. Loki chuckled that you could still pull that trick off. He took your right hand and returned to his book. “200,” he finally announced and climbed off of your back. He offered you a hand and helped you back to your feet. You turned to the others who were just staring in awe.

    “You guys knew I was strong,” you reminded them, embarrassed.

    “I don’t think any of us realized how strong,” Cap finally said.

    You shrugged and gestured to Thor. “Strong enough to carry his drunk ass to bed more than once. Odin’s beard, one night I had to carry both of their drunk asses to bed. Granted, they were a _lot_ smaller back then.” The boys both flushed at that reminder.

    “There is no way in hell you can carry Thor,” Tony told you, incredulous.

    “Dude, you just saw me do how many pushups with Loki on my back? I can carry Thor,” you replied defensively. You didn’t bother counting the number of pushups. You went by how many pages Loki read.

    “Prove it!” Clint teased. You huffed and stomped over to Thor.

    “May I? To shut up your idiot friends?” you asked. He nodded, grinning. You swept him up into your arms bridal style. “Happy?” you asked his friends while they just stared. You took a few steps, showing it was no strain. It was just awkward because Thor was so big. You set Thor back on his feet.

    “Our Valkyrie are among our fiercest warriors, friends,” Thor told the others.

    “I think we’re beginning to see that,” Cap said, impressed. Loki came over and draped his arm over your shoulders.

    “You three are scary, remind me to stay on your good side,” Clint joked. You smiled a little at his joking, his gentle teasing, his acceptance.

    You kissed Loki’s cheek. “I think that’s enough of the Valkyrie terrifying the mortals for this morning. I’m going to grab a shower. See you guys later,” you waved to the others, ducked out from under Loki’s arm and left the training room. After a quick shower, you returned to outfit number three of the day and took your laptop and a book down to the living room. You curled up on one of the sofas and opened your laptop to check social media. You hadn’t dealt too much with it before moving in to the tower, but life with the Avengers changed a lot of things and you were popular now as the media tried to get to know the newest Avenger. At least the newest that they knew of. They didn’t know that Loki was part of the team now.

    Except that Jarvis had decided your warmup drills with Loki were awesome and had posted the video of the entire drills on YouTube under the title ‘Asgardian Dancing’. You linked the video to your Facebook page and the Avengers social media pages. It was up on YouTube regardless, might as well give the populace a healthy sample of your actual abilities.

    “What are you up to, darling?” Loki asked, peering over your shoulder to look at your laptop screen.

    “Jarvis decided to post the video of our warmup drills on the internet,” you explained. You then had to explain the internet, social media, YouTube, and Facebook. He was interested and enjoyed watching the video of the drills. You also showed him how to use his Stark tech phone. He hadn’t bothered learning yet. Soon he had a Facebook page and after some prodding had sent friend requests to the team. You took silly pictures, including quite a few of you kissing. The pictures all got posted, the relationship was claimed, purely so fangirls wouldn’t throw themselves at your Loki... purely, your profile picture was changed to an adorable one of Loki kissing your cheek. And the comments rolled in.

    You taught Loki how to play Mario Kart and Smash Bros and you spent the afternoon playing video games with him and various teammates when they came wandering through.

    “Why are you two children trending on social media?” Tony asked when he wandered through, looking at one of the Jarvis screens in his hand.

    “We’re not children!” you and Loki both protested at the same time.

    “We’re a thousand years older than you,” you reminded him grumpily as you proceeded to very maturely kick Loki’s ass at Smash Bros while playing as Pikachu... such mature.

    “So say the children playing video games,” Tony commented dryly. “So why are you thousand year-old aliens trending on social media?”

    “It’s Jarvis’ fault,” you told him, focused on the game. “He posted the video he took of our warmup drills,” you added.

    You all turned when the elevator doors opened. Everyone was already up here. Director Fury was stepping off of the elevator and looked pissed. You set down your controller and edged closer to Loki on the couch, dagger already at your side where Fury wouldn’t see it. He wasn’t exactly your favorite person after how he’d treated you. You didn’t trust him with your Loki.

    “What is _he_ doing here?” Fury demanded, gesturing angrily at Loki. You jumped to your feet to stand defensively in front of Loki, dagger in one hand, your dragonfang blade in the other. Loki had gotten to his feet, standing behind you, letting you deal with this problem, trusting you. It would cause trouble all around if _he_ attacked Fury.

    “Stand down, Valkyrie. Fury won’t hurt Loki,” Cap said as he walked over to diffuse the situation. You hesitated. “Stand down,” Cap repeated, firmly, but kindly. He seemed to understand your dilemma. You vanished your blades, but didn’t move from your defensive stance in front of Loki. “Thor brought Loki back with him from Asgard. He’s joining the team,” Cap told Fury firmly.

    “No way. There is no way you’re letting him stay here. You can’t keep adding troubled Asgardians to the team. He’s dangerous!” Fury protested.

    “Kyrie,” Thor’s voice. “Take Loki upstairs. We’ll deal with this,” Thor told you gently.

    “Thor-” you protested. You had to stay here and make sure this ended up going your way. You had to defend Loki from SHIELD, from Fury, from whatever they wanted to do to him.

    “Go, Kyrie. I won’t let anything happen to you or my brother. We will deal with SHIELD and Fury. Get your charge out of here,” Thor ordered more firmly. He wanted Loki out of Fury’s sight, safely away where Fury wouldn’t send him away or worse.

    “No,” Fury started.

    You took Loki’s hand. “C’mon, love,” you bid him. You teleported the two of you upstairs. You opened Loki’s bedroom door, scanned the room automatically and led him inside. You sat on his bed and opened your laptop again. After some furious typing, you had the security footage pulled up. Loki sat on the bed behind you watching the scene downstairs.

    “They are going to be upset when the realize we can spy on them,” Loki told you.

    You shrugged. “Then they shouldn’t keep kicking us from the room,” you replied. “Though this time Thor is trying to protect you, so I can’t complain too much,”

    You watched the team rally around you and Loki, watched them vow that you weren’t trouble, that you were good for Loki. Thor explained the situation, explained the lost memories, Loki’s mind control from New York.

    “How long has he been here?” Fury demanded.

    “A little over a month,” Cap replied.

    “This is a stupid-ass decision, but since you’re all so sure and taking responsibility, I’ll keep the council off your backs if you keep him under control. If he causes _any_ trouble, both of their asses are ending up on The Raft or worse, and there won’t be a damn thing I can do about it,”

    “Director, you saw the video of what those two can do when they’re happily warming up. You want them fighting on our side. Don’t do anything to them to change that. Plus, she’s been on Earth for 900 years and didn’t cause any trouble until a couple months ago,” Nat warned.

    “And that ‘trouble’ was saving our asses during a fight,” Clint added dryly.

    “That is why I’m letting them stay. Stage a press conference, announce his presence, Tony, Cap, you know how to spin it. Don’t make me regret this,”

    “You shall not,” Thor told him firmly.

    You slammed your laptop shut and vanished it back to your room when Thor headed to the elevator to come talk to you. You had left Loki’s bedroom door open so Thor would know where to find you.

    By the time Thor made it upstairs, you were in Loki’s arms, happily kissing him and looking for all the world that you had been that way the entire time you’d been up here. You didn’t want to advertise that you’d been spying.

    It wasn’t at all that you enjoyed kissing your Loki...


	12. Chapter 12

    Thor sighed heavily when he knocked on the door. “I do _not_ want to see my brother kissing...” Thor grumbled at you both as you looked over at him. You rolled your eyes and sat up where you’d been reclining against the pillows, wrapped in Loki’s arms.

    “Geez, Thor, since when are you a prude? Hel, I caught you with your hand up maids’ skirts barely hidden in an alcove more times than I can count... Plus that time with Lady Sif...” you teased. “ _We_ were just kissing,” Thor glared and grumbled while Loki laughed.

    “I still do not wish to see my baby brother in such a situation,” he grumbled. You stood from the bed, though to go talk to him properly.

    “ _I_ have never been caught in such compromisings situations as you, brother dear,” Loki commented too innocently. Thor glared.

    “I have stories I can tell your lady as well,” Thor threatened. Loki blanched and held up his hands in surrender. You would have to find out what those stories were later. “You two seem to have reconciled quickly...”

    “We lost 900 years, Thunderhead,” you reminded him. “And... not that it’s any of your business, mind, but after we discussed things, well, our relationship fell back into place like nothing changed.” Loki joined you at the doorway, his arm automatically around your shoulders, possessive and protective, though _you_ were the bodyguard. Thor looked like he wanted to say more, but seemed to realize that now wasn’t the time. “So, what did Fury say?” you asked innocently. You usually took the innocent approach. Loki was bad at it and no one believed him when he tried it. They just assumed he was guilty anyway.

    “He is letting you both stay,” Thor told you. He didn’t quite believe the innocent act either, but wasn’t calling you on it. “We are announcing Loki is joining the team at a press conference tomorrow. I have to warn you both and I don’t want to hear that you aren’t children, I know. Fury also gave us a warning that if you can’t behave or cause trouble, the world security council will lock you away and there is nothing any of us can do about it,”

    “We’re not stupid, Thor,” you told him quickly. “Nor are we children,” you grumbled.

    “I _know_ you’re not,” Thor told you, exasperated. “But the public does not trust Loki, for valid, if incorrect reasons. Father sent him here to make amends. For now, stay out of the spotlight,” Thor suggested. You knew it was an order and Loki did too.

    Before you could complain more about the unfair treatment, you had both been drafted after all, the alarm went off throughout the tower. You summoned your battle armor in an instant. Thor use Mjolnir to do the same. Loki started to do the same, but Thor pointed Mjolnir at him. “Not you, brother. Not yet. Stay here,” Loki was still on house arrest. Loki looked at you, horrified.

    “Kyrie, no,” he said softly, reaching for your arm, to hold you here, to keep you safe. You leaned up and kissed him.

    “I’ll be fine, love,” you promised him. “I’ve been out on plenty of missions before.” He hadn’t seemed to worry over the last month when you’d gotten called out. He had been hiding his feelings well, too focused on his hurt feelings it had seemed to focus on your wellbeing. “And I’ll keep your idiot brother safe,”

    “He better keep _you_ safe,” Loki grumbled. You smiled and kissed him again.

    “Despite all I have survived, my prince still worries over me,” you told him softly with a warm smile.

    He gave you a small smile in return. “It's only because I worry over you that you have survived,” he replied. You’d heard the words between Odin and Frigga all of your lives, though ‘my prince’ was replaced by ‘my queen’ in their version. After all these years, Loki still had Frigga’s tone and mannerisms down in the words. Of course he did. He adored his Mother.

    “Come on, Kyrie,” Thor told you impatiently.

    “Take care of my Valkyrie, brother,” Loki threatened again.

    “Your lady is safe in my care,” Thor replied, yet again.

    “Would one of you two boys remember that _I’m_ the bodyguard here?” you growled and stomped past both of them to the elevator.

    *

     You were limping, using Thor as a crutch when you stepped off of the elevator onto the main floor of the tower after the battle. You were all worse for the wear. Everyone was injured and you actually got off pretty lightly. Thor was the least injured, only because you’d healed him during the battle, perks of your duty being honor bound to his family. He got first dibs on healing after Loki.

    Loki was in the living room, reading while pretending he wasn’t waiting anxiously for the team to return. He looked up from his book and rushed over when he saw you. You pushed off of Thor to stand on your own. “Kyrie!” his voice was pained as he looked over your injuries, but quickly turned to anger when he glared at Thor. “You. You witless oaf. You were supposed to protect her,” he had a dagger in his hand, at Thor’s throat.

    You sighed in exasperation and quickly disarmed Loki, taking his dagger and vanishing it. He glared and summoned another one. You took that one too. “Darling, I can do this all day. It’s not Thor’s fault. Everyone got injured on that attack. Now, will you kindly help me heal them and stop trying to kill your idiot brother? Sorry, Thunderhead,” you added quickly.

    He shrugged. “I’ll accept it. This time. You were injured keeping that thing from smashing my head in,” you sighed and took yet another dagger from Loki.

    “Stop upsetting your brother,” you scolded Thor. You took Loki’s hand. “Stop trying to kill Thor. Help me heal our teammates,” you reminded the stubborn god. Neither of you had strong enough healing on your own to deal with more than a cut or scrape, but together...

    “Very well. Then you are letting me tend to you,” he told you firmly. You nodded and you turned to the team.

    “Hold still,” you told them. They looked wary, but you saw Thor nod his approval. With skill gained of long practice, you and Loki combined your power and spread your healing throughout the team. Cuts resealed themselves, bruises faded, broken bones repaired, Cap’s cracked rib repaired itself, the bullet wound Clint had taken healed, Tony’s concussion was gone.

    It only took a couple minute before they were all healed. You dropped Loki’s hand, breaking the connection between your magics. “I didn’t know you could do that,” Nat said in awe. You used magic to change into your pajamas, wanting to be comfortable before Loki fixed you up.

    “I can’t, not alone,” you told her and started to explain how you could only manage minor healing on your own. You shrieked an instant later when you found yourself folded over Loki’s shoulder. “Loki!” you protested.

    “You were stalling,” he told you unapologetically. “Where are the medical supplies?” he asked the team pleasantly, formally. He was reserved around them, though perfectly open and friendly toward you, and sometimes Thor. When he wasn’t actively trying to stab Thor.

    “Lohk, you know I’ll heal by morning,” you grumbled, embarrassed at your current predicament.

    “Hush, darling. You promised,” he told you gently.

    “That is the only reason I’m not stabbing you,” you grumbled.

    “I’ll get the first aid kit,” Nat told Loki. He inclined his head and thanked her. He carried you over to your couch and set you down gently. Nat handed him the first aid kit a moment later.

    “Thank you, Lady Natasha,” he repeated as he opened it. You sat still and let him close the cut on your head with a butterfly bandage. It would heal quickly. Probably before morning. He knelt in front of you and propped your injured ankle up on his knee. He probed it with magic. “Thank the heavens it’s just bruised,” he told you. His hand shimmered to Jotun, though he hid it from the others. You moaned in relief when he placed his blue hand on your swollen ankle. He smirked up at you and you saw the wicked comment on the tip of his silver tongue.

    “Not one word, Trickster,” you warned him. His smirk turned into a grin, but he silently returned to the task of bandaging your ankle.

    “Is that everything?” he asked politely. He could use magic to find out.

    “There’s just another bruise,” you answered, honestly. He would spot a lie. He gave you a look. He wasn’t going to leave it alone until you showed him. You sighed and lifted your shirt so he could see the giant ugly purple bruise on your ribs. “It’s just a bruise,” you insisted. He placed his cold hand against said bruise. You winced, but the glimmer of his magic eased the pain for a moment.

    “That, my darling, is a cracked rib, not a bruise,” he told you dryly.

    “Is it?” you asked too innocently. He glared. He didn’t like it at all when you downplayed your injuries. He never had. “It’ll heal by morning,” you reminded him firmly before he could worry too much.

    “My duty is to care for you,” he reminded you just as firmly, though he softened it by kissing your forehead.

    “Y/N, are you going to be able to go to the press conference tomorrow?” Cap asked. He saw how injured you were now, especially since you were just now pulling your shirt back down over the bruise.

    “I will. I heal fast. I’ll be fine by morning,” you told him just as firmly as you told Loki. You turned to Loki. “Don’t worry, Lohk, I won’t make you face the mortals alone,”

    “That is the least of my worries,” Loki told you as he dug through the first aid kit.

    “Are you looking for these?” Nat asked as she came over, holding a bottle marked in runes as well as English. “These are the only pain meds we’ve found so far that work on Thor,” she explained.

    “That is exactly what I was looking for,” Loki replied with a warm smile for Nat. It was rare to see him be so warm and open to relative strangers.

    “No way. Those things knock me out,” you protested to them both. You’d had to take them after a nasty wound shortly after you’d joined the team and didn’t want to repeat the experience. “It doesn’t hurt that bad,” you insisted. Loki gave you a look and touched your side. You winced and hissed automatically at the pain. He wordlessly read the runes on the bottle and passed you two of the pills and a glass of water. You hesitated, hating being knocked out by anything, especially drugs. It was hard to give up control like that. Especially when the pain wasn’t _that_ bad. Especially when the team, though they were opening up, were still mostly relative strangers.

    Loki moved closer to you on the couch, tucked your hair back behind your ear. “Trust in your prince, little Valkyrie. You are in my care,” his lips were against your ear as he whispered the words.

    “Fine,” you said softly, tired of arguing, just... tired. The battle had been long and you were injured and in pain, so you took the stupid meds that would drive the pain away. The meds kicked in before you finished sipping on the glass of water. Loki managed to take it from you before you dropped it. The pain had vanished, but so did your ability to brain or function. Your eyes were too heavy. “Loki,” you mewed softly. You hated being like this in front of the others, but it was so very hard to stay awake.

    “I know, darling, I know. I’m here, you’re safe,” his voice was warm and gentle. He stood and lifted you off of the couch into his arms. You managed to wrap your arms around his neck while you laid your head on his shoulder. You made a small soft noise, a whimper. You were both vulnerable if you were out of comission. You couldn’t- couldn’t leave him undefended. “Hush, love. Everything is alright. We’re safe. Your duty is done. Time to rest in the nice shielded bedroom,”

    He tucked you carefully into the soft bed and kissed your forehead. You had lost the time between him picking you up and arriving at the bed. Had he walked, or teleported? You couldn’t be sure. “Rest, my little Valkyrie. I will be here when you wake,”


	13. Chapter 13

    “I could get used to this,” Loki’s voice was a whisper, his lips against your hair. You shifted a little, murmured something softly, and tried to find the cool spot on your pillow to lay your head. Loki laughed. “Dearest, I am not a pillow that you can flip over to find the cool spot,” he told you warmly. His chest rumbled when he spoke and the rumble was coming from under your head. He _was_ your pillow. He didn’t seem to mind except not wanting to be flipped over to find the cool spot. That was ok. He was one giant cool spot.

    “Can,” you murmured. It was hard to wake from the pain pills that work on Thor, they were a touch too strong for you.

    “Fair point. I would however greatly appreciate not being flipped over,”

    “M’kay,” you snuggled better into his arms, your head comfortably on his chest. He kissed your forehead.

    “Yes, I could get used to this indeed, my darling little Valkyrie,” his voice was a warm purr.

    The conversation finally got through your sleep addled brain and your eyes snapped open. You were in Loki’s room. In his bed in fact, and there was every nothing that you’d been there all night since Loki had tucked you in after feeding you pain pills. However, you knew you hadn’t fallen asleep cuddled up with Loki. It wasn’t embarrassing or uncomfortable. It felt no different than the thousands of naps you’d shared over the years. And quite a few of those naps had lasted all night too. Asgardians didn’t see anything wrong with such things.

    You shifted and kissed Loki’s cheek. “Good morning, my prince,” you greeted him warmly, not teasing his title this time.

    He turned his head to kiss you properly. “A very good morning indeed, my darling Valkyrie,” he replied with soft love in his voice. You sat up slowly, a little stiffly and took inventory of your injuries. Besides being a little stiff, a little sore, and your ankle was a little tender yet, you were healed. “Better?” Loki asked when you’d taken inventory, sitting up and propping himself with pillows against the headboard.

    You nodded. “Told you I’d heal by morning,” you reminded him.

    “So you did,” he agreed. “You also did try to warn me about the affect of the pain medication on you,” he added with gentle teasing. You blanched. What the hell had happened for him to be teasing you over?

    “Great Odin’s Ravens! I _tried_ to warn you. What happened? Whatever it was, I’m sorry!” you told him quickly. He smirked. Your use of ‘Odin’s Ravens’ as a curse told him you didn’t remember. The ravens were spies and saw and heard everything; by cursing by them it was a cue to the listener that you didn’t remember, see, or recall the event.

    Loki laughed and waved off your concern. “Don’t worry. You were just distraught and wouldn’t calm until you were using me as a pillow. It was the only way to convince you I was safe and you had done your duty of protecting me. It was adorable, little Valkyrie,” his eyes were bright and loving, his smile warm. He wasn’t teasing. He thought it was legitimately adorable.

    You sighed in relief. That wasn’t so bad, insisting on doing your duty to protect the prince wasn’t embarrassing. “Oh. That really explains why I was laying on Thor last time...” you commented, thinking over the last time you’d been on those pills.

    Loki snarled and there were daggers in his hands. “If you will excuse me, Kyrie-love, I must go destroy that idiot brother of mine,” he told you as he moved to get up to do just that. You sighed, grabbed his arm, and, with a couple of quick practiced movements, had him disarmed and pinned on his back on the bed. You were straddling his waist, pinning both of his wrists above his head with one hand, the other hand on his chest to keep him from squirming too much

    “Stop that,” you told him firmly. He snarled and struggled to get free, but you held him firm. He seemed impressed that you had pinned him and even more impressed that he was stuck pinned. It wasn’t like you hadn’t done it before. Though he hadn’t been so... _excited_... the others times.

    Except that time with the love potion.

    No one spoke of the love potion incident and Loki claimed he didn’t remember it. You hadn’t been a full-Valkyrie yet, so you couldn’t do anything to the court lady who had done it, besides report her and take care of Loki after. Your Lady Mother had dealt with that bitch and she’d never been seen again.

    “He touched what’s mine. He has to die,” he struggled again and you tightened your grip.

    You sighed, exasperated. “Lohk, your brother may be an idiotic oaf, but even _he’s_ not that dumb. He has never made any moves romantically, even when he _didn’t_ remember who I am. And no, he didn’t see the sigil on my arm to figure it out,” you’d worn gloves or long sleeves constantly until Loki had gotten here. “He pretty much hated me when I got here. It didn’t help that he mistook me for you when we first re-met. Anyway...” you’d gotten side tracked, oops “all he did was his duty to a Valkyrie, in his care, which is all of them since he’s a prince as you well know. Honor would have demanded it if I was as distraught as you made it sound. He sat on the couch, had me burritoed in a blanket so I couldn’t hurt anyone, and let me use his leg as a pillow. That’s it.

    Now will you stop trying to kill your brother for the crime of doing his duty? Or do I have to make you?” you teased with a smirk. He seemed to have calmed while he was listening to you.

    He took the bait. You knew he would. “And just _how_ do you plan on stopping me from fratricide?”

    You smirk grew and there was a mischievous glint in your eyes. “By distracting you until you forget about that little plan,” you told him too innocently.

    Before he could ask how, you leaned down and kissed him. It was tentative at first, you wouldn’t force him or pressure him, but you would keep him from killing Thor. Instead of fighting, he kissed you back. He tried to tug his wrists free of your grip, but you weren’t giving him up that easily. He wasn’t distracted enough to not go kill Thor, or at least stab him. So you kissed him, then moved to nibble gently on his earlobe. He squirmed and gasped in a surprised pleasure. You kissed your way down his neck and he tilted his head for you. If you remembered correctly... there was a spot... there! He gasped, moaned, arched his back when you found the exact weak point on his neck. You kissed it and sucked on it until he was properly melted and distracted and had long since stopped fighting you.

    You kissed his lips again. “So what was it you were doing, my darling prince?” you asked him too innocently.

    “No idea, Lady Valkyrie,” he purred softly at you. You kissed him again and let him go.

    “That’s what I thought,”

    *

    “Brother, what happened to your neck?” Thor blurted as you and Loki sat down for breakfast. The entire team looked over to see the red and purple mark on Loki’s neck. His shirt wasn’t high enough to cover it and he hadn’t bothered with an illusion. You couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed, pissed off, or proud of the mark you’d accidentally left. That hadn’t been your intention...

    Before Loki could answer, Tony started laughing. “An unconscious Smurfette too much for you, Reindeer Games?” he teased, roaring in laughter. You stormed to your feet and strode toward him. Loki’s hand clamped around your arm before you could pass his chair to get to Tony at the other end of the table. You turned and glared at him. Tony looked relieved.

    “You forgot your gloves, dearest. You would not like for him to be an icicle when he hits the ground. It would make such a mess,” Loki informed you kindly and used magic to summon elbow-length gloves onto your arms for you. Tony went back to looking terrified when he realized that Loki wasn’t stopping you from defenstrating him, just from killing him with ice first.

    “So considerate,” you told Loki warmly and kissed his forehead. He let go of your arm and you strolled gracefully over to Stark. You lifted him easily from his chair by his throat before he could scramble away. “Do not insult my prince’s honor,” you snarled at him, holding him off the ground. Your threat delivered, you threw him through the window, hard.

    “I think that might be a new record,” Nat commented dryly, watching the Iron Man suit go flying out the window to rescue Tony. You took your seat again and dive happily into your breakfast. Bruce was pulling up the footage on a Jarvis screen.

    “She almost beat Thor’s record, another couple of centimeters and she would have,” Bruce announced to the table. Tony was back in the window a minute later.

    “Oi, kid. Fix the window,” he told you. You growled at him, but waved your hand and the window was repaired.

    “So, Loki, how _did_ you get that mark on your neck?” Nat teased, but she was so kind about it that Loki didn’t kill or stab her for it. It was a gentle teasing of friendship, not the harsh teasing of Stark.

    He just gave her a polite smile. “A gentleman does not kiss and tell,” he told her just as politely. Nat gave you a wide grin, knowing exactly what that meant and returned to her breakfast. The guys took turns giving Loki knowing applauding glances when they thought you weren’t looking. Loki looked pleased to be accepted, even if it was through teasing, the gentle kind teasing of friends, not whatever Tony had been doing...

    Men were always the same.

    *

    “You’re adorable, darling, now give that back. We are supposed to be looking to see if I have something appropriate to wear for the press conference this evening,” Loki reminded you, reaching for his helmet, which was currently on your head.

    You rolled your eyes. “You know damn well that you can magic a perfectly fitting suit for it,” you reminded him and took a step back. “And I’m not giving it back. It you want it, you’ll have to come get it!”

    You turned and ran from the room, slightly unbalanced by the horned helmet. You literally ran through the door via magic, giggling as Loki mock-roared and chased you. You teleported down to the living room between one stride and the next. Loki followed right behind.

    “What are you two doing?” Nat asked as you leapt over where she was sitting on the floor cleaning her guns.

    “She stole my helmet!” Loki called as he also leapt over Nat and her guns.

    “I got him!” came Clint’s voice from the ceiling. He had a Nerf bow in his hands and shot Loki square in the forehead with it. You laughed and kept running. An illusion of Loki appeared directly in front of you. You ran right through it. You’d always been able to tell his illusions from the real thing. He should have remembered that.

    “Thor! Protect me!” you called and ran behind Thor, using him as a human shield. He was laughing and held his arms out wide to stop Loki’s chase. It wasn’t going to stop his brother, so you turned and ran, still laughing at your silly game.

    A new illusion of Loki appeared in front of you. Again you ran right through. “Oof!” you exclaimed as you collided with the very real Loki who had been hiding directly behind the illusion. Sneaky Trickster. His arms wrapped firmly around you before you could get your balance again and flee.

    “Game’s over, darling,” he told you warmly. He kept one arm firmly around you and reached up to pluck his helmet off of your head. “Mine,” he told you firmly. You were pretty sure he wasn’t talking about the helmet...

    “Thor, get them out of the tower!” Tony whined from where he was sitting on the couch with a bunch of screens around him. “They’re annoying my planning of this press conference,”

    “Stark, of course they’re bored cooped up in the tower all the time. Kyrie, why don’t you take Loki to the mall, a movie, the amusement park, or something, eat something out?” Nat suggested helpfully. You gave her a smile. Apparently, she decided she liked your nickname too and had adopted it. Loki’s arms were still securely around you, though he turned you so your back was to him and you could see the rest of the room.

    “Lohk, you got your helmet back. You can let me go,” you told him.

    He leaned forward and down the few inches between your heights. “I _could_ but I do not wish to,” he whispered in your ear, his arm tightening around you to hold you more securely against him.

    “Stop being adorable and get out of here,” Tony growled, half-heartedly.

    “I expect you both back here by 4 to get ready for the press conference,” Cap called from the dining room. They were using your annoying them as an excuse to give you both a reason to get out of the tower.

    “Would you like to see the shops of Midgard?” you asked Loki. Of the options given, the mall was one of the closest and would allow you plenty of time to have fun and get you both back before the deadline.

    “That sounds enjoyable,” Loki replied. He wanted to get out of the tower too, even if that meant spending time with the mortals. He hadn’t been since Thor had brought him here. He let you go and you took a step away from him, using magic to change from your pajamas into an adorable sleeveless sundress and sandals. The material was lightweight. It was full summer and you didn’t do well in the heat. The problem was usually the mortals, though...

    You turned to Loki and saw the concern in his expression. You were only just getting comfortable around the tower without gloves and sleeves. He was wearing dress pants and a button-down shirt. “Lohk, you’re going to melt. It’s summer. Thor got Stark to keep the tower a reasonable temperature for us, but it’s like 20,000 degrees out there. Just wear shorts like everyone else,” you told him, gesturing at the rest of the men who were, in fact, wearing shorts.

    “Peasant’s garments,” Loki growled. You sighed at your silly peacock who was too obsessed with looking fashionable.

    “If I have to carry you home because you pass out from heat stroke...” you threatened him. You didn’t know what you’d do to him if he made you carry him home, but it wouldn’t be pleasant.

    “It’s not _that_ hot out,” Stark told you grumpily.

    “For us, it is,” you reminded him sourly. “We’re frost giants. We don’t do well in the heat.” There was a reason you were risking being out with no sleeves.

    “Very well,” Loki told you grumpily. His magic shimmered and instead of the shorts you were expecting, he was wearing a green and black tartan kilt with a wide black belt and a black lightweight shirt. You smiled brightly and kissed him.

    “Odin’s Beard, it’s been a _long_ time since I saw a man who could pull off a kilt properly.” Kilts were hot. So was your Loki. The combination of the two...

    “Brother, Midgardians do not wear kilts anymore...” Thor tried to protest. You were supposed to fit in.

    “Like you can talk about fashion, Thunderhead. Besides, some Midgardian males do,” you countered. “Most just do not wear them well...” you corrected. “We’re going to draw attention regardless,” you shrugged and summoned your purse and a set of Stark’s car keys. Before anyone could protest again you turned back to Loki. “Shall we, your highness?” you asked with a bit of teasing in your tone.

    “As my lady Valkyrie wishes,” he replied warmly and offered you his arm. You placed your hand on his arm.

    *

    You had a fun outing with Loki. He enjoyed visiting the shops and kept wanting you to try on everything. He also wanted to purchase the entirety of the jewelry stores for you, but that was illogical and impractical. You both got a lot of stares since you were both pretty famous. Plus there weren’t _that_ many men who went around wearing kilts, so it drew attention.

    You had lunch at a cute little Asian restaurant in the mall and laughed at Loki’s attempts to use chop sticks. He growled at your skill with them and insisted on trying.

    Even though the mall was crowded, most people gave you your space. No one wanted to get too close to Loki, he was intimidating when he felt like it, and today he felt like keeping people away from you. There was an incident, a man not paying attention to where he was going and nearly ran into you. Loki spun you gracefully out of the man’s way, pushing you behind him, and let the man collide with him instead. He growled at the man.

    “Oh shit. I’m so sorry!” the man stuttered, shaking when he realized that he had just collided with Loki of Asgard.

    “Watch where you’re going,” Loki told him coldly. “You nearly ran over my lady,”

    You touched Loki’s arm. “Love, it was an accident. The mortal apologized. There’s no need to smite him,” you told him calmly. It was then that the mortals nearby grew to appreciate your presence, for Loki calmed, softened, and gave you a small smile. It was learned very quickly that Loki’s lady could calm his temper.

    He kissed the top of your head. “You’re alright?” he asked with concern. He didn’t like that your secret was in danger.

    “Yes, darling,” you turned to the man and gave him a bright smile. “Sorry about him. He’s... protective. C’mon, Loki, there’s a bookstore over there,” you pointed in the direction you’d been walking. You waved to the man, who looked like he was going to be paying extra attention to where he was walking from now on.

    “Miss?” a little girl, no older than seven stopped you on your way to the bookstore. You turned to face her politely. Loki stood at your back, watching, but not stopping the girl or even looking mean or intimidating at her. It was always amazing how good he was with kids.

    “Yes, little one?” you asked her kindly, kneeling down to be on her level.

    “Is that a tattoo?” she asked, pointing to your arm. Loki stiffened behind you. You waved at him behind your back with your other arm. You were fine. You could keep one little mortal save from your skin. You flipped your tattooed arm over so the girl could see it.

    “It is. You can look, but not touch,” you told her firmly, but kindly.

    “Mommy says ladies can’t have tattoos,” the girl said sadly in a tone that clearly said this was a long standing argument of what ‘ladies’ could and couldn’t do.

    “Where I come from, this tattoo is very special. Only Ladies are _allowed_ to wear it, and only very, very special ladies at that. The only Ladies who can wear _this_ tattoo are very skilled warriors,” you explained. Her mother would hate you, but that wasn’t your problem. Making the little girl happy was your problem.

    “Girls can be warriors too?!” she asked with such excitement it warmed your heart.

    “I am,” you told her. “In fact... and this is a _big_ secret,” it wasn’t, but the little didn’t need to know that. “He’s a prince,” you gestured to Loki with your thumb. “And I did so well studying to be a warrior that they let me be his bodyguard,”

    “Really?” she asked with her eyes wide. You smiled and nodded.

    “It’s a lot of hard work, but anyone can be a warrior,” you warned her before she thought it was easy. She grinned, thanked you, and ran back to her parents. You stood and took Loki’s arm again.

    “Well handled, darling,” he told you. He’d been concerned, you could see it in how he relaxed now that the child was gone.

    “Midgard has some strange ideas of what girls can and can’t do. I like to break those ideas as often as I can,” you told him.

    You entered the bookstore and watched with joy at Loki’s mouth drop at all of the books. You strolled through the shop after him while he investigated every single book they had. He gleefully picked out books to rescue from the store and you eventually had to drag him out before you ran out of time.

    On the way back to the car a group of early drunk teens, or maybe some gang teens, it was hard to tell with teens, decided that they didn’t recognize Loki and were going to cause trouble. “What’s with the skirt, twink?” one of them asked as they blocked your path.

    You were instantly standing in front of Loki, your dragonfang blade in one hand a dagger in the other. “Leave us alone, idiot children,” you snarled at them.

    “Darling, you should not stab the mortals. They die so easily and it’s quite troublesome,” Loki reminded you calmly.

    “If they let us pass, then I shall not stab them,” you replied equally calmly, not at all concerned about fighting in a skirt.

    “Bitch!” one of the others snapped. “Give us your purse,”

    You sighed, vanished your blades, and summoned your gloves instead. “Only because it’s troublesome to kill the mortals,” you said as you slipped the gloves on casually. The teens finally seemed to realize that everything wasn’t as it seemed.

    “Shit, that’s Valkyrie and Loki,” one of the teens finally recognized you. He wisely fled.

    “I don’t care who they are,” another said and charged you. A couple quick jabs and he was on the ground at your feet, very unconscious. It had taken no effort on your part. The rest of the teens were terrified at that and fled.

    You vanished your gloves again and turned to Loki. “Those kids were dumb,” you commented.

    “They did not stand a chance against your might,” he agreed and kissed you. You stepped over the unconscious one. His friends would be back to claim him soon and walked with Loki back to the car.

    You had to get back for the press conference and the stupid socializing afterwards.

    You didn’t want to do either.

    So you procrastinated getting ready after you got back to the tower by curling up next to Loki on the couch to watch TV until the last possible moment. By watch TV you meant kiss him. A lot. “If you’re going to wear a kilt, learn to sit like a lady and not a whore,” Stark growled when he saw Loki sitting on the couch in the living room with you.

    Loki smirked knowingly and made absolutely no move whatsoever to sit like a lady.


	14. Chapter 14

    You threw a blanket over Loki’s legs, taking pity on the room’s occupants. He gave you a disappointed look, but you knew perfectly well what the traditional undergarment was when one was wearing a kilt. And you were sure that’s _exactly_ the undergarment Loki was wearing... or not wearing... “Lohk, play nice,” you told him firmly. “They’re never going to like us if you keep antagonizing them.” By they, you meant Stark. Everyone else was slowly coming around to liking you, accepting you. Stark shot you a grateful look, though, so maybe there was hope he’d come around too.

    “Spoilsport,” Loki grumbled at you. “And, Darling, Stark is never going to like me. He cannot forgive me for New York,” he reminded you. He had accepted that as fact.

    “You said that wasn’t your fault,” you protested.

    He shrugged. “And yet. The world does not forgive easily and those who were injured most especially. It is to be expected,”

    You kissed him lightly and got up from the couch. You had procrastinated too long already on getting ready for the press conference. “Try? At least to be cordial? This is the only home I have...” you reminded him sadly. You caught the sad looks from the team as well at your reminder.

    Loki took your hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss your knuckles. You saw he wanted to protest that this wasn’t your only home, your only option, but he knew as well as you that you were in exile... “Very well,” he told you instead.

    You gave him a small smile and turned to Cap. “Are we meeting back here before the press conference?” you asked.

    He nodded. “Yeah, meet up here. We’ll all go down together. I’ll prep Loki,” he added. You nodded, kissed Loki again, and headed up to your room to get ready.

    Nat peeked her head into our room after you’d dressed in a sleek floor length dress the same blue as your Valkyrie cape. You were putting the final touches on your hair, which you had pulled up into a knot at the back of your head and secured with gold hair sticks. “Need help?” Nat asked kindly. “You did fine at the first conference, but...”

    “You were concerned I’m like Thor and can’t dress myself as a Midgardian?” you asked, laughing. “Natasha, I’ve been here 900 years. I can manage. Plus I was a court lady on Asgard,”

    “Maybe I should get you to do my hair then,” she replied with a laugh.

    “I can if you want...” you offered tentatively, wondering if she’d trust you to do it.

    “That’d be great. I’ll be back down in a minute,” she rushed off and you smiled. Nat usually wasn’t very open with people, but you got along with her just fine. She was back in a sleek, but professional enough black dress by the time you’d finished your makeup. You used magic to do her hair for her so you couldn’t risk touching her with your bare skin. You chatted with her while you worked and it just seemed so...normal. “Are you going to be ok with no sleeves?” Nat asked, concerned, as you left your room to head downstairs and meet up with the boys. Your dress was halter-style with a low-cut back. It _was_ summer after all.

    “It’ll be fine. I’ll be careful,” you promised. You didn’t want to draw undo attention to your ‘skin condition’ and gloves and sleeves in August counted as drawing attention. Nat didn’t look convinced, but didn’t say anything else. You knew you were perfectly safe. Between you and Loki you would be, anyway. He was protective after all.

    Loki was waiting for you outside your bedroom door. “Ladies,” he greeted you politely with an elegant bow. He was wearing a perfectly, magically, tailored black three piece suit with a white dress shirt and emerald tie. You didn’t have words to describe how good it looked on him.

    You dipped a curtsy automatically. Some habits hadn’t died over the years and you’d spent a _lot_ of time attending formal events on Asgard with Loki. “Your highness,” you replied properly, but warmly, a smile on your face at the old familiarity.

    Nat did not curtsy, but just replied with a simple “Loki,” and head nod.

    “You both look lovely this evening,” Loki said politely and you rose. That was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Will you lovely ladies allow me the honor of escorting you?” he asked formally. You had expected the request for yourself and were already accepting his offered left arm before he had finished making it. Nat smirked, but took his other arm after only a slight hesitation.

    “Brother, you cannot monopolize the attentions of all of the beautiful women!” Thor protested when the three of you stepped off the elevator.

    “But, Brother, they are just so lovely!” Loki protested innocently. You and Nat both laughed at your silly trickster. He was having fun teasing the others.

    Nat dropped Loki’s arm. “Thank you for the escort, but your brother is right. We do need to be fair and let the other men think they have a fair shot. Our little Kyrie is too in love and too devoted to you to be fair game, so I’ll have to suffer and let them fight over who gets to escort me,” she teased as she took a step away from the pair of you. Her ‘our little Kyrie’ warmed your heart especially as she said it without seeming to consciously think about it.

    “Plus if they try to touch my bare skin, they’ll die. Or at least get severe frostbite,” you reminded her. You didn’t bother arguing over her accusations about your feelings toward Loki. She wasn’t wrong.

    “Which does not make them effective escorts for my lady,” Loki kissed your temple. He was scant centimeters taller than you since you were wearing heels. He was trying to be reassuring. He knew how you felt about how the mortals couldn’t safely touch you.

    “You clean up nicely for a warrior,” Clint commented carefully. He was really asking why you and Loki were proficient at dressing and all of the men had to work together to make Thor presentable. You had to admit that Thor looked nice in a button-down shirt and dress pants. No tie for Thor.

    “Didn’t Thor tell you?” you asked incredulously. Thor was supposed to have explained all about the Valkyrie to the team. “The Valkyrie are nobility, one step below the royal family, and above the rest of the nobility. Since I grew up with the princes, I basically grew up as a princess,” you explained to them. You and Loki both laughed as Clint’s and Tony’s jaws fell open in shock. You usually wore jeans and t-shirts, or workout clothes. They hadn’t realized that you were a proper court lady. Nat laughed too and took Bruce’s arm since the rest of the men were ignoring her with their slack jaws.

    You all made your way together to the first floor above the lobby of the tower. Half of the floor was taken up by a large auditorium. The other had tables, chairs, a lounge, and of course a bar for the meet and greet after these kind of press conferences and events.

    “Ready?” Cap asked Loki before the team entered the back entrance to the auditorium. Happy, one of Tony’s security guys, was standing in front of that entrance to block the public from it. Loki inclined his head, but you saw the hint of hesitation in his eyes. He was nervous appearing in front of the press. You fixed a stray lock of his hair and straightened his tie for him.

    “Darling, you’re a prince of Asgard. The mortals cannot harm you, and I will be by your side,” you reminded him as you took your position again, your hand on his left arm. Cap nodded to Happy and the procession into the auditorium and onto the stage began. Cap led stopping at the podium in the middle of the stage. He was followed by Tony, then Nat and Bruce who stood to his right. Thor followed, then you and Loki. The three of you took your places to Cap’s left.

    You kept your back straight and stood tall. If you were nervous, Loki would be too, or get defensive of you. You dropped his arm when you were at your spot on stage. You were standing directly on Loki’s left, half a step behind him. It was exactly as protocol dictated on Asgard. It left him to be the focus of attention, but allowed you to guard and whisper guidance if he needed it. You felt rather than saw him relax, reassured by your presence at you proper place at his side.

    The press conference was brief. Cap did most of the talking. He was Captain America and the crowd listened to and accepted what he said. He reminded the press briefly that New York wasn’t Loki’s fault and that he was a welcome addition to the team. Tony even said something complimentary. Thor was jovial as per usual, enthusiastically telling the crowd how excited he was to have Loki working with the team. Cap fielded questions to Loki, and was very careful which ones he would allow to have answered. He was polite and courteous in his replies.

    He was only stumped once when a reporter asked why he had wanted to join the team. He hadn’t wanted to any more than you had. He paused a moment too long. So you jumped in. “I heard such great things about Earth and her people, especially his teammates, from my brother’s tales of his workings with the team,” you whispered without moving your lips, at least not perceptively to the crowd. Loki automatically recited your words, the lie sliding right off of his silver tongue. He didn’t even pause to take in what you said, just repeated your words, trusting your answer and advice. “I wished to use my skills and abilities to aid his quest to defend the realm of Midgard, and the team graciously allowed me to join them,”

    With that, Cap decided to end the press conference, realizing that things would go downhill quickly now that you’d gotten to the blatant lying portion of the questioning. Tony invited everyone to stay for the socializing part of the evening and you were finally able to get off stage. Cap lead the procession and again, you and Loki were at the end, your hand on Loki’s arm.

    “Thank you,” he whispered to you as you walked off stage.

    “Anytime,” you replied warmly. “You were doing fine on your own,” you reassured him.

    “That load of crap was _your_ doing?” Clint asked, impressed, figuring out what you and Loki were discussing, even though you were doing it quietly. You were backstage, away from the crowd, and where you couldn’t be overheard.

    You shrugged. “The press ate the answer up, that’s the important part, right?” you asked defensively. The crowd had loved the answer. They didn’t need to know that it wasn’t true. “Thor, didn’t you tell them anything?” you asked when the team still looked impressed. “The Valkyrie who are in personal service aren’t just body guards, we’re also advisers,” you explained to them.

    “C’mon, we need to join the party, and no, you two can’t escape early. This event is in Loki’s honor, he has to be there,” Tony told you all. You sighed heavily, but accepted the fate that you would have to socialize. Tony led the way into the lounge room. There were _way_ too many people and you felt Loki stiffen defensively. You squeezed his arm reassuringly.

    People kept asking you questions. At least the men were smart enough not to flirt with you while you were on Loki’s arm. Loki was protective of you and stayed nearby, even if your hand wasn’t on his arm, which was rare. He went to go get you both drinks from the bar and the second he was gone a reporter swarmed you.

    You stopped him before they could touch you to get your attention. It took every ounce of effort not to draw a blade. “Y/N, you seem awfully close with Loki...” the man prompted, stepping closer into your personal space. You gave him a small smile, but took a step back.

    “Yes, we are,” you answered without giving him more information. The reporter kept pressing for information and wanted to see your tattoo. You hadn’t shown it, and were reluctant to do so now. You didn’t know if anyone on Midgard could read sigils, but you didn’t want to take that chance either. They wouldn’t understand why you basically had Loki’s name tattooed on your arm.

    It was rare for the reporters to get you alone. You didn’t go out and last press conference one of the team had stuck to you like a burr to deflect touching and uncomfortable questions. The man was actually reaching for your arm. “Sorry, I don’t like to be touched,” you told the reporter, taking another step back. Giving him one more chance before you drew a blade.

    Loki swept back over before you had to actively defend yourself. You didn’t want to draw blades at this gathering. It would look bad. He kissed your cheek and handed you a glass of Asgardian mead. “Apologies, darling. It took the man behind the bar a moment to remember he had this.” Loki told you warmly. He glared at the reporter. “Was this man bothering you?” he growled the question, the threat clear.

    “He was just leaving,” you replied. The reporter took the hint and fled before Loki killed him for talking to you.

    “I should kill him for harassing you,” Loki protested, looking like he was going to draw a blade.

    “You can’t,” you reminded him. “We have to be good and not kill the reporters,” you added and sipped on the mead. You’d missed its taste dearly. Nothing in the nine realms tasted of home and the taste you had of it the other night wasn’t enough.

    “Kyrie-love, you’re too exposed here. You should go back upstairs,” Loki told you, worried. He wanted you upstairs where you’d be safe. You saw an over protective glint in his eyes. He didn’t just want you upstairs. He wanted to bundle you up and force you to safety if that’s what it took.

     _He’d done it once too. It was just after the love potion incident, so you’d forgiven him later. At the time you’d been pissed. A man had been flirting with you at a feast. He flirted too hard, was drunk, and wasn’t taking your hints that you weren’t interested. He had actually gotten a grip on your arm before Loki swept to your rescue. You would have taken the man out yourself, and been perfectly justified about it the second he laid a hand on you, but Loki had taken offense. He had shattered the man’s hand removing it from your arm and lectured the man calmly about the duties the court had protecting their Valkyrie, and even moreso their Valkyrie-in-training, which you had been at the time. You had thought that was the end of it and were surprised to find yourself sitting on Loki’s bed a moment later, propped comfortably against the headboard with pillows, but your arms were bound behind your back and your ankles were bound together too, and you couldn’t break the magic on the bindings. Damn overprotective prince had sent you to safety and made sure you stayed there._

     _You would have stabbed Loki had it not been so soon after the love potion incident._

     _That didn’t stop you from cursing him out for it until he let you go and actually sobbed into your shoulder while you held him that he’d been so scared for you and he couldn’t stand it if anything had happened to you. He was sorry, but so scared. He didn’t remember the love potion incident, didn’t understand what had made him so scared, just knew that he’d had to get you to safety before that male had hurt you. You’d reminded him then that you were in everything together and were there to protect each other._

     _The man who touched you was never seen in the palace again and you were too afraid to ask what had happened to him._

    “We have to stay,” you reminded Loki.

    “I can stay without you...” he started, but just sighed at your expression. That wasn’t going to happen and you both knew it. “Very well, at least allow me to do this,” he set his glass down and slipped off his suit jacket. You nodded and set your glass down as well. He helped you slip the jacket on.

    “Thank you,” you told him softly. No one would question you wearing his jacket, even in summer. It also made him feel better that you were covered and claimed as his. So you socialized with the mortals, safe with your prince beside you.

    The party slowly began to die out, but you still weren’t allowed to leave until the very end. You and Loki were both socialized out well before the party died down.

    Besides that, everything was going fine until the robots burst into the room through the windows. Civilians screamed and ran as the team jumped into action. With a shimmer of magic, you and Loki were in your armor. Thor was summoning Mjolnir. Nat had guns and tossed one to Clint. She covered Bruce to get him out of the fray. The Hulk would not be helpful here. You summoned Cap’s shield with magic. “Cap!” you called and threw the shield. He caught it and used it to smash a robot’s head in. Happy was getting Pepper out of the room. The rest of the civilians were being shepherded toward the door.

    Stark? Where was Stark? You saw him behind one of the couches.

    You looked to Loki, but reminded yourself that he was a capable warrior too. “If you get injured I’m going to be quite cross with you,” you warned him. Yes, you usually guarded him, and you’d be sure to watch his back, but he was a trained warrior as well. It as a delicate balance. He gave you a bright smile, at your words, concern, and the fact that you weren’t just trying to bundle him up and keep him safe. You separated from him to fight the robots, wondering why on Midgard they were attacking your home.

    You realized as you stabbed one of the robots in the neck that they looked like rogue iron legion suits. You also realized when the robot collapsed and you were back on your feet that Stark was still behind the couch without his armor.

    Shit.

    You rushed over to him and caught a blow that was aimed at him. You slaughtered the robot behind it ruthlessly. “Stark, where’s your suit?” you demanded, standing so you could defend him.

    “They took out Jarvis’ mainframe, none of the suits will come without him,” Tony told you and you heard the hint of fear in his voice. You remembered his secret then. He had PTSD from the wormhole in New York. Of course he’d feel helpless without Jarvis, without his armor. You still saw him gathering to fight even without armor, or a weapon.

    You knelt in front of him. You knew warriors and you knew the after effects of battle. “Breathe, Stark,” you told him firmly, but kindly. He looked at you shocked and confused, panicked. “Breathe,” you told him again. You raised your arm, dagger braced along your forearm to block an attack and threw daggers into the robot, effectively taking it down. “I know you trust me about as far as Pepper can throw me and hate my guts most of the time, but we’re on the same team. I’m not going to let those things get you,”

    He steeled himself. “They’re attacking our home.” He was breathing again, doing better with a focus.

    “Yes, and we will kill them. Now, you’re one of the smartest men I know. I’m damn sure that you planned for a circumstance where you couldn’t contact Jarvis for a suit. There has to be one in this tower that doesn’t require Jarvis to be connected to the mainframe,” he nodded, looking shocked at your words, at your knowledge of him and his...feelings...when he hid behind sarcasm and jokes most of the time. “You have a choice and I’ll respect whichever you decide. I can get you out of here to safety, or you can tell me where that suit is and we’ll go get it together so you can help defend our home,”

    You saw him force the panic attack down, saw him steel himself, and throw his mask of snarky sarcasm back on. “It’s in my lab, smurfette,” he told you firmly.

    You gave him a small smile and nodded. “Try not to barf on my shoes, shellhead,” you replied. You stood and he did the same, scrambling to his feet. You carefully wrapped a hand around his arm, slowly enough that he could see what you were doing and see that your hand was going around a clothed part of him so he’d be safe. You teleported the two of you to his lab. He swayed, looking sick. Teleporting wasn’t pleasant the first time. He shook it off quickly and rushed to the suit in the corner.

    “I’ll see you up there,” he told you. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn’t know how. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all, kid,” he finally said. That was as close as he could come and you appreciated that you both seemed to understand the other better after this little incident. You nodded, accepting his inability to thank you, and teleported back to the battle, just in time to save Loki from getting clobbered in the back of the head by a robot. You fought back to back, protecting each other as you defeated the robots.

    Iron Man flew in a moment later and the tide quickly turned in your favor. The battle didn’t last much longer after Iron Man arrived. You all gathered back in the center of the room and took inventory of the injuries. Bruce was fine, Nat had covered him. There were some cuts and gashes, bruises, but no one was too injured.

    None of the team anyway.

    You were the first to see the figure lying by the door, a piece of metal sticking out of his chest. You ran over to him, but knew you were too late, even as you knelt beside him to check. The team followed right behind you. The man was in military uniform and you knew at once what had happened. He had died helping the civilians escape. He was the only casualty, but even one was too many.

    You looked up and caught Loki’s eyes. “Stand watch?” you asked him. He would understand your words, understand what you were asking of him.

    “Of course,” he replied instantly, almost insulted that you’d asked instead of just assuming he’d do it. You were relieved he would stand guard, would stand watch, would make sure you were safe. You nodded and turned your attention back to the man. You placed a hand on his chest, took a breath and got to your feet.

     _Except you left your body behind when you did. Your spirit offered a hand to the spirit of the deceased man, who was standing next to his body. You offered him a bright smile. “It’s time to go now, warrior,” you told him._

     _“Go where? Who are you? What happened” he demanded. Your smile didn’t falter._

     _“You died,” you told him gently, kindly. “You have died a warrior’s death, defending the innocent from harm. I am a Valkyrie, here to take you to the glorious land of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever. Come, warrior,” you bid him, gesturing with your offered hand. It was an honor to be chosen to go to Valhalla, and one of your duties was to guide the fallen warriors there. It was equally your duty to make the transition easy on them, a kind guide, a gentle presence. He placed his hand in yours and you led him to the afterlife._

    You blinked quickly when you returned to your body and took a moment to steady yourself. “Kyrie-love, are you alright?” Loki asked. He was at your side and helped you back to your feet. You nodded.

    “I’m fine,” you told him. You regained your balance quickly. It was always a shock transitioning back to your body after visiting Valhalla.

    “What was that all about?” Tony asked, but his tone was nicer than usual, less sarcastic about his curiosity.

    “The Valkyrie lead fallen warriors to the land of Valhalla,” you told him simply. “He died a warrior’s death and deserved the honor,” you added sadly.

    “Come along, love. We’ve all had enough excitement today,” Loki bid you softly and wrapped his arm around you. He knew how you felt about leading the dead, pretending to be happy about it. He knew you needed to resettle after doing it. It hurt every time, but it was still your duty.

     _Neither of you would forget the first time you’d done it. You were all of seven and had been playing outside with Loki. One of the palace dogs had saved you both from a monster and died of its wounds after the monster was dead. You didn’t know what you were doing, didn’t understand that part of your abilities. You had instinctively left your body and walked the puppy to the halls of Valhalla. It was entirely instinct that brought you before Odin’s throne in that realm. He didn’t always look over the new souls in his realm, but he had that day, when he felt your presence in Valhalla the first time, felt your presence where it had no right being. You were much, much, too young._

     _“Why are you here, child?” he had asked you that day. He knew who you were, of course, but he hid his surprise behind formality._

     _“This puppy saved Loki and me from a monster,” you told him much more bravely than you felt. Odin was scary, especially to a small child. You didn’t know him well, despite that he was Loki’s father. “The puppy was... sad...” you didn’t quite understand death yet, you were too young “after he saved us, so I had to bring him here...”_

     _Odin actually gave you a smile then, was actually gentle and kind. “We will watch over the puppy here. He did a very good job keeping you two safe. The warriors will be glad to have him as a friend.” He told you gently. You finally noticed the ghosts of warriors and the Valkyries in the hall. They were all staring at you just as surprised as Odin was that you were here. “Now go back to Loki, little Valkyrie, when you find him, I want you both to go to his mother. Understand?”_

     _“Yes, sir,”_

     _“Good girl, go on, now,” you dipped a tiny wobbly curtsy, petted the puppy and told him byebye, and ran back the way you came to find Loki again. He’d been so scared when you finally returned to your body, and you had to lay in the grass centering yourself before you could even move again. The transition was so hard the first time. Loki had had to half-carry you back to the palace, you were so exhausted and drained. You told him what happened as you walked back to the palace to find Frigga. One of the guards had picked you up when they saw the sad state you and Loki were in trying to get back home and carried you the rest of the way, while Loki worried beside him the entire walk to Frigga’s suite. You then had to tell her what had happened and your Valkyrie training began the very next day. You had passed out after you told her, and hadn’t woken until the next day. Loki was in a right state the entire time and wouldn’t leave your side. It was dangerous to wander the land of the dead, so you’d had to learn how to safely. It was also dangerous to leave your body behind while you did it._

    “We should help clean up and find out what happened here,” you protested. “And I can help fix Jarvis...” You weren’t weak, but if you crashed out before everyone else, they would think you were. They didn’t understand how draining it was to visit the land of the dead.

    “Jarvis can wait until tomorrow,” Tony told you quickly. “I’ve got backups anyway, so I might not need help,” he added.

    Loki sighed heavily. “You’ve done enough, little Valkyrie,” he told you gently. His finger was against your lips before you could argue again. He waved a hand and the windows repaired themselves. “At least sit down for a little bit, center yourself before you jump back into work.” He told you firmly.

    You nodded and let him lead you to the couch that was still standing. His arms were around your shoulders and he forced you to sit and pressed a drink into your hands. You smiled up at him. “Thank you,” you told him softly. He kissed your forehead.

    “Of course, my darling. I will always be here for you, just as you are for me,”

    “I love you too,” you replied softly, your tired brain not quite realizing what you said. It wasn’t quick to inform you either.


	15. Chapter 15

    “How long is she going to sit staring at that drink without moving? It’s kinda weirding me out,” Stark’s voice, not unkind, maybe worried, but you were too focused on the glass in front of you to pay him any attention. The trip to Valhalla was longer from Midgard than it was from Asgard and it always took time, and usually sleeping it off, before you regrounded yourself in reality. So you focused on the drink, on the feel of the glass, the condensation on the outside, the smell, its appearance.

    “Until either she grounds herself in reality again, we’re done here and I can take her to bed, or she falls asleep on that couch,” Loki replied with a hint of an edge to his voice. “Stark, she just visited the land of the dead. Her soul left her body to do that man the honor of making sure he has a good afterlife. It’s hard on her. Always has been. Give her a minute,”

    “Lohk, play nice,” you told him automatically, catching the hard edge to his tone. His hand stroked your hair.

    “We’re almost done here, love. Are back with us?” Loki asked. You blinked quickly and looked up at him. His tie had vanished while he was working and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. His expression was kind, but a hint of worry.

    “I’m ok,” you told him and got back to your feet, setting the glass aside.

    “Smurfette? You up to helping? Jarvis is still down. We don’t have security, elevators, anything,” Stark explained as you kicked off your heels, damn things were uncomfortable and you refused to wear them a moment longer. All of the guys had their sleeves rolled up, ditched their ties, jackets gone, Nat’s heels were gone too, though she was wearing someone’s discarded suit jacket. You and Loki had both ditched your armor back to your party clothes, though you hadn’t remembered doing it. It had taken a lot of work to clean up the conference lounge. Cap was still dealing with cops and the dead body. Stark was looking at one of Jarvis’ screens, no longer in his Iron Man suit. “J says next to me, you’re the best one with his code,”

    “He only says that because he’s too nice to say that I’m better,” you teased. Stark gave you a smirk.

    “We’ll see about that, Smurfette. We need to get down to my lab,”

    You nodded. “We taking the stairs or you want a lift?” you asked. Most people didn’t like teleporting, but you really didn’t feel like taking the stairs either.

    “Much as I hate to say it, lift. There’s robot corpses littering the tower,” Stark sighed.

    You nodded again and reached a hand out. He stiffened. “I know you hate being touched, but physical contact is necessary,” he nodded and you clapped a hand on his shoulder, careful not to touch bare skin. “Lohk?” you looked over at your charge.

    “I’m still needed up here. I’ll be fine, love,” he gave you a reassuring smile.

    “You better be,” you told him. You didn’t like leaving him alone, but he was a trained warrior and surrounded by the rest of the team and Thor. He wasn’t helpless.

     An instant later you were in the lab and let go of him. There was still a robot down here. “Stark, stay back,” you told him as you summoned your blades and slid defensively in front of him. You leapt into action before the robot even began to move. It was destroyed in seconds.

    “You’re handy to have around,” Stark commented.

    “Nice of you to realize,” you grumped back at him as you vanished your blades. “Looks like they got Jarvis through there,” you pointed at the robot arm sticking out of one of the actual terminals. You removed the debris and got to work with Tony reconnecting all the pieces of Jarvis back to the mainframe. “Oi, Shellhead, it’s fucking hot down here. Can you promise not to touch me?”

    Stark rolled his eyes. “You’re safe, Smurfette. I don’t do touching,” he reminded you. You nodded and slipped off Loki’s suit jacket, setting it carefully aside, hitched your dress up to your knees, knotted it off, and resumed your work. “Kid, you ok? You’re flushed and it’s not that hot down here...”

    “I’m a frost giant, Stark. We don’t do well in the heat,” you reminded him, sitting on the floor while you worked.

    Bruce eventually came and joined you, bringing pizzas. Loki and Nat joined you later and soon there was a pizza/fix Jarvis party. Thor sat to the sidelines of it with Cap and Clint, bringing more beer and pizza to you all while you got Jarvis back up and working.

    It took the rest of the night to get the damage repaired.

    It took another day, a lot of magic, and some sweaty workmen to get the tower cleaned and repaired and back to normal.

    *

    “Come on! It’ll be fun!” Stark told you and Loki early one morning about a week later. You were curled on your couch enjoying a quiet morning with your books and cups of tea. “We’re all going. There’s no choice, so just agree,”

    “Stark, this sounds like a terrible idea,” you told him, not even looking up from your book. “Besides, you can’t make us come,” you reminded him pleasantly.

    “Can to,” Stark replied pleasantly.

    “Stark, don’t even start. I can kick your ass without breaking a sweat, even in the suit. Plus, I don’t even own a swim suit,”

    “Pepper and Nat bought you one. You’re coming, Smurfs. You’re not skipping the fun,”

    “Kyrie-love, kindly stab him for me,” Loki said pleasantly. You leaned up and kissed his cheek.

    “My pleasure, darling,” you told him warmly and got to your feet, daggers in your hands in an instant.

    “Thor! A little help!” Stark backed up, but you saw the laughter in his eyes. He knew you weren’t really going to stab him.

    “Stark, Loki and I can’t handle the heat. A beach is a terrible idea,” you tried again to make him see logic. Thor stepped into the room, already in swim trunks and a t-shirt.

    “Come with us. It will be fun!” he told you too brightly.

    “Thunderhead, this is a recipe for disaster and you know it,”

    “It’s not that hot out. You’ll be fine. Don’t make me pull rank on you,” Thor warned.

    “You’d do that, for this?” you demanded. You both knew how much you hated when he pulled rank on you.

    “It’s important that you both get out of the tower and have lives too,”

    “Fine, but you have to convince Loki on your own,” you huffed and vanished the daggers. “But we’re leaving when the heat gets too bad. Now where’s the swim suit?” you glared at Stark. This was entirely his fault.

    “On your bed,” Nat supplied helpfully.

    “I am going on record reminding you all this is a terrible idea,” you glared at them all.

    “Fine. Meet in the garage in five minutes,” Stark replied. You huffed and teleported upstairs to get dressed. You were going to kill Nat for the skimpy bikini she’d chosen too. The list of offenses today was just getting longer and longer. She’d also set out shorts and a halter top for you as well. You sighed and got dressed, telling yourself again that this was a terrible idea.

    “About time,” Stark told you as you stepped off of the elevator, tying up your hair as you walked.

    “Can it, tin man,” you told him grumpily. “I’m only coming at all because Thor strong-armed me,” you growled as you stepped over to the SUVs the team was gathering around.

    “Fun, how awful,” Clint teased. “C’mon, get in the car,” you sighed and got in the back of the SUV that Nat and Clint had claimed. Loki was already sitting in the backseat.

    “How’d Thor convince you?” you asked him as you joined him.

    “He reminded me that you would be on a beach in scanty clothing without me if I did not join you,” he replied grumpily, not looking up from his book.

    “I told him this was a terrible idea,”

    *

    When you all piled out of the SUVs, you did have to admit that the weather wasn’t _too_ terrible. Still warmer than you’d like, but bearable. You took Loki’s hand and he smiled at you warmly. “This part is not so bad,”

    “I told you, Brother, this will be fun!” Thor boomed. You kept hold of Loki’s hand as you saw that the press was already figuring out the team was here. It was only one reporter so far, but there would be more.

    Sunbrellas were set up, blankets laid out, and coolers were brought out from wherever they had been stashed. The boys were even setting up a grill for making food later.

    “Y/N, Loki!” Nat called. You turned to look at her and she tossed something your way. you caught it automatically. “Don’t forget sunscreen. With how you two are about the heat, I assume you’ll burn quickly,” that was a safe assumption. You claimed one of the blankets under a sunbrella for yourself and Loki. Nat was currently getting Clint to rub sunscreen on her back, already down to her skimpy black bikini. She gave you a look. “C’mon, Y/N, the rest of us are in our swimsuits.” She was right, of course. Pepper was in her bikini too and the boys were all down to their swim trunks. You and Loki were the last ones standing. “Just get it over with. Stark won’t give up until you do,”

    You sighed heavily. “If Stark ogles you, I will gladly remove his eyes from his skull for you,” Loki purred in your ear. You laughed and relaxed.

    “I’ll let you know,” you told him warmly and he smiled. You turned your back on the team to strip off your shirt and shorts. You turned shyly back to face everyone, but most especially Loki, who was enjoying the sight. You were so used to being covered from head to to to protect everyone, that you were embarrassed to be showing so much skin. You noted that Loki’s shirt had vanished and you very much appreciated the view.

    Loki stroked your cheek and kissed you. “No need for that charming blush, my little Valkyrie. You’re beautiful,”

    You sighed. Didn’t he see that you were uncomfortable? Didn’t he understand? You saw in his eyes that he did. “Lohk...”

    He kissed your forehead. “I know, but you’re safe with us, and you’re ravishing, so please stop fretting, and try to have fun.” You smirked up at him for that.

    “I think I know _exactly_ what will be fun, your highness,” you teased. He looked intrigued for a second before you grabbed him and threw him to the ground so he landed on his stomach with an ‘oof’. You were at least careful about it and made sure you didn’t hurt him.

    “What are you-?” he started as you straddled his back sitting on his ass.

    “Putting sunscreen on your back,” you told him pleasantly.

    “Fine, overprotective Valkyrie,” he grumbled, but shifted to pillow his head on his folded arms. You moved his hair out of the way and got to work on his back. The application of the sunscreen didn’t take long at all. Massaging all of the knots out of his back while he purred and moaned in pleasure took quite a lot longer. He didn’t seem to mind that your fingers were callused from years of weapons training. He really didn’t mind at all when you leaned down to kiss the nape of his neck.

    You shrieked when the team started attacking you with water guns and dove off of Loki, rolling toward them, automatically jumping into a fighting stance to face your opponents. There were two water guns on the ground at your feet. You grabbed one and tossed the other to Loki, who was on his feet too, laughing. He caught it and you jumped into battle.

    More press showed up, but they left you alone while you played on the beach with the team. You and Loki buried Thor in the sand and promptly refused to unbury him. He roared as he broke free of the sand.

    “Y/N? Wanna give me a hand? These guys insist that I can’t beat them at volleyball,” Nat called over to you. You grinned at her. You greatly enjoyed proving idiot men were stupid. You kissed Loki and headed over to her. Loki came too, lounging casually at the edge of the sand court to watch. You and Nat thoroughly trounced the boys with next to no effort. You were both stupidly athletic and you didn’t even need to use magic to help. The guys laughed it off and admitted that girls could play the game too. They came around the net to shake your hands and thank you for the good game.

    Shit.

    You took a step back and Nat took the lead. She shook both of their hands with a smile. They first guy held his hand out to you. You gave him a smile, but didn’t offer your hand. “Thanks for the game, it was fun,” you told him brightly. He just stared at you expectantly. “Sorry, I have a thing about being touched,” you told him and took another step back.

    “What? That boyfriend of yours won’t even let you shake hands with another male?” he smirked.

    You glared at him. “It’s not like that,” you protested. You caught Loki move out of the corner of your eye, but he couldn’t jump in now without it looking exactly like what the guy had suggested. None of you wanted that in front of the press.

    “C’mon, Y/N, just ignore these jerks,” Nat told you and gestured back to the team, who were all on alert now and watching. Cap was on his way over, sensing trouble and bullies. The jerks took a step forward, obviously intending on not leaving you alone. One of them laid a hand on Nat’s arm. You daggers were in your hands to defend her. “I got this,” she told you with a wicked grin. You raised your hands, vanished the blades and took a step back. Nat spun and the man with his hand on her was on the ground bleeding and clutching his crotch less than thirty seconds later. “We don’t like to be touched,” Nat told the other man.

    Loki was suddenly beside you, his arm around your shoulders. “Are you alright, darling?” he asked. You nodded and he kissed the top of your head. “I can always kill them for you,” he offered, a dagger in his hand as he took a step toward the jerks.

    “I’m ok,” you told him, clamping a hand around his arm to stop him from killing people. “They were just misogynistic jerks. That’s not a capital offense,”

    “Hey, guys, the burgers are done,” Cap greeted the three of you as he made it over. He only spared Loki and his dagger a glancing look, as well as the man bleeding on the ground. “Everything ok here?”

    “Philosophical differences,” Nat told him with a smile. “We got it sorted,”

    “I see that,” Cap said dryly. “Gentleman, I would highly suggest leaving the ladies of the Avengers alone,” he told the men. He stayed for a minute while you, Nat, and Loki made your way back over to the others.

    Stark handed you a plate of burgers when you made it back over. “You two should get out of the sun for awhile,” he suggested. Thor looked over at that and nodded his agreement. You nodded, feeling flushed and tired. You sat under the sunbrella with Loki and devoured the plate of burgers and bottles of water.

    “C’mon, you two, you haven’t even been in the water yet,” Clint told you as soon as you had finished eating.

    “Clint, the beach is getting crowded,” you told him, unsure. The beach was getting more and more crowded with both fans and press. “Maybe we should get out of here....” You’d also both spent too long in the sun already. Loki’s cheeks were flushed and you were sure yours were too. You felt too warm.

    “Just for a minute!” Thor pleaded with his sad puppy-dog expression. You sighed and got back to your feet hesitantly.

    “Fine,” you huffed and rolled your eyes. “But no one better complain when I turn blue eating ice cream later,”

    You played in the water with the team for all of a minute. There were too many people and too many kids who wanted to see the Avengers. You clutched Loki’s arm when the second child got too close. “Loki...” he wrapped an arm around you and tucked you close to his side.

    “It’s alright, love, I’ve got you. I won’t let them touch you,” he told you as he led you back up on dry land.

    “Guys, I’ve got to get out of here. There are too many mortals,” you told the team when you were safely on dry land, though you had to dodge more kids. Loki summoned a big beach towel to wrap around you. You smiled at him gratefully. The team looked sad, but nodded, accepting your decision. You kissed Loki’s cheek. “You can stay, if you want,”

    “I would much rather go home with you.” He replied. You nodded, took his hand and teleported the two of you to his room in the tower. You dropped the beach towel and sighed in relief at the cooler temperature and lack of hot sun. “Oh, shit!” Loki exclaimed, looking at you.

    “What?” you asked, looking automatically for the danger. Instead of answering, Loki swept you up in his arms. You yelped in protest.

    “Shit,” Loki repeated and laid you gently on his bed, rolling you onto your stomach. He placed a cold hand between your shoulder blades before you could snarl and get up. You nearly moaned in relief of his cold hand against your hot skin. That wasn’t good. “Stay,” he told you firmly.

    “Loki, what’s going on?” you demanded as you got your arms under you to push yourself up. He held you firmly in place and settled on top of you, straddling your hips and sitting on your ass.

    “We never got sunscreen on you,” he told you finally. “I would be surprised you aren’t writhing in pain, except that you’re a stubborn Valkyrie,”

    You hadn’t noticed getting burned while you were out in the sun. Of course you hadn’t. You didn’t go out in the sun and just thought you were too warm. “It doesn’t-” you started, until he trailed a finger lazily over your shoulder and you shrieked.

    “Sure it doesn’t hurt, darling,” he told you dryly. “Now, will you hold still and let me fix this before it starts to actively hurt?” You moved your arms to pillow your head on them. He leaned down to kiss the nape of your neck. “Good.” He told you when you were actually behaving. The bottle of ointment he summoned smelled strongly of the healing herbs in it. His fingers were gentle and careful as he rubbed the stuff into the sunburns on your skin.

    *

    A couple of weeks later the AC went out in the tower during the worst heat wave in recorded history. Stark promised to fix it quickly.

    He promised.

    And yet, it just got hotter and hotter in the tower. Clothing became scarce. Super scarce. There was one day Nat was wearing nothing but a gun holster complete with gun. No one dared comment, though the men found nearby ceilings, floors, and walls _very_ interesting. Except, surprisingly, Thor who acted as if there was nothing strange going on.

    You spent most of your time in the living room. It was cooler than your room. Loki joined you and Thor found you sprawled spread-eagle on the floor flushed and whimpering and trying desperately to cool down. Ice wasn’t helping. The freezer couldn’t keep up with the demand.

    “Loki, please eat something,” Thor prodded at dinner one night. You and Loki were both slumped with your heads on the table and neither of you could stomach the idea of eating a damn thing. Thor had literally dragged you both in here. “You two have to eat.” Neither of you said anything, just made a pathetic whimper as your forms were flickering, trying to hold to Asgardian form. “Stark, is there nothing that can be done?”

    “I’m working on it,” Stark protested at the other end of the table. “Can’t they use magic to-?”

    Thor shook his head. “The heat drained them too fast. You see how they are. It’s taking all their power just to hold on to their Asgardian forms,”

    “Shut up, Thor,” Loki growled.

    “Eat something and I will,”

    “Kyrie, stab him for me,” Loki whined, not looking up from his position facedown on the table.

    “Stab him yourself, you’re closer,” you growled in reply.

    “How did they survive on Asgard?” Nat asked worried.

    “Our summers never got this bad. During the two hottest weeks of the summer, Mother would take them on a trip up North, though she did not tell any of us why,” Thor added.

    You pulled a dagger from the sheath at your back and handed it to Loki. “Here,” you told him.

    “Thanks. Thor, stab yourself with this,” Loki growled and passed the dagger to Thor.

    “How about you eat this instead?” Thor suggested and pressed something into your hand. You glared over at it, until you recognized the popcicle. You managed to sit up and eat the treat, moaning in pleasure at the cold, even as your form shimmered to Jotun. You didn’t care. A minute of relief was worth it. Loki was in the exact same shape.

    *

    “Have you seen the smurfs? We have a solution until the AC gets fixed,” Stark asked from outside of your hiding spot. You had given up pretense and fucks to give and were hiding in the deep freezer. It was a walk-in freezer, but was only big enough for one person to enter. Usually. So you were curled in Loki’s lap while he sat cross-legged on the floor of the floor of the freezer. Both of you had turned Jotun and were trying desperately to cool off enough to function. Right now, you had finally cooled enough to doze off. Neither of you had slept in days. The freezer wasn’t running at full capacity and was being drained even more by your presence, but any relief was worth it.

    “I have not seen either of them,” Thor replied, his tone worried.

    Tony opened the freezer and just stared. “Found them,” he said dryly. You cracked your eyes open to glare up at him. He was letting hot air into your hiding spot. “You can’t hang out naked with the food,” he told you equally dryly.

    “Not naked,” you replied. You had a tank top, and underwear. Totally clothes.

    “Come on, out of the freezer,” Tony reached a hand down to wrap around your arm, to pull you to your feet and out of the freezer. His hand was in an Iron Man gauntlet. Loki’s eyes snapped open and he had a dagger in his hand, swiping it at Tony in the next instant. Tony leapt back. “I thought they didn’t have magic like this!” he complained at Thor.

    Thor sighed. “You have a plan?”

    “Yes, I set up Y/N’s room with a window AC. It’s an igloo in there now,” Tony explained while you curled yourself more comfortably in Loki’s arms, whimpering softly.

    “Apologies, Lady Valkyrie,” Thor told you and lifted you while you protested loudly, from Loki’s lap and tossed you over his shoulder. Loki moved to stab him, but was blocked easily and tossed over Thor’s other shoulder a moment later. “Lead on, quickly. Her skin will hurt even me in this state,” Thor told Tony. Loki growled at Thor to put him down.

    A couple minutes later, Thor had you and Loki tucked in your bed in the ice cold room. You both sighed in relief and your forms settled back to Asgardian almost instantly. “We will take better care next summer,” Thor promised you, though you were both too out of it to answer him.

    *

    The weather finally cooled almost immediately after Tony got the AC fixed and you could finally face the others again, back to as normal as you and Loki got. You were called out on a mission shortly after. It was nothing special, just some monsters causing trouble. Loki went with you on the mission this time too.

    The battle was going as well as a battle could until one of the humanoid monsters threw a blast of fire at Loki. “Loki!” you shouted. Loki was weak against fire. You both were. You teleported over and shoved him out of the way, throwing a rain of daggers at the monster even as you raised your arms to defend your face against the fire. The monster fell as you shrieked in pain. The fire burned through the gauntlets on your arms, deep into your flesh. “Odin’s saggy shriveled left testicle!” you shouted as you beat the flames out, having flashback momentarily to being burned at the stake.

    Loki and Thor both dropped what they were doing and turned to you in shocked horror. “LADY!” Thor shouted, horrified by your curse and spluttered, unable to say anymore. Loki rushed to you to check your arms.

    “Does that count as language?” Stark asked Cap, while he laughed at your choice of curse.

    “I...think so?” Cap replied, but sounded rather unsure and horrified regardless.

    “Shit, we’ve got to-” Loki started, horrified by the awful burns on your arms. You grabbed him and pulled him behind you, charging the monster that had been sneaking up behind him.

    “I’m fine,” you snarled at Loki when you had to defend him again thirty seconds later for trying to deal with your arms during battle. “Focus on the battle,” you ordered him firmly. You fought back to back, defending each other for the rest of the battle.

    The monsters were all defeated, the group taking inventory of their injuries when the pair of ravens swooped straight for Loki. You slid in front of Loki automatically, defensively, though you knew the ravens. Of course you knew them. Still, your duty was to protect Loki.

    “Damn! No,” Thor’s voice and he started running over.

    The ravens landed on a parked car next to you. You turned, bringing Loki with you so he remained behind you and took a step back. You would defend your charge, even against Odin, if that’s what it took. The ravens cawed. You knew what they wanted, but you hesitated.

    The ravens swooped, cawing angrily at you for standing in front of Loki, for defending him against their spying. You raised your arms above your head. Talons wrapped around your arm and the raven dragged you back to the parked car. They were getting what they wanted whether you wanted them to or not. You couldn’t harm these ravens.

    “Valkyrie!” Loki called and stepped forward.

    “No!” Thor called again as the raven pinned your arm to the hood of the car so the other one could look at your tattoo and sigil. Thor grabbed you around the waist and hauled you away from the ravens, ignoring as their talons sliced your skin, turning so his back was to the ravens, so you were hidden from their sight. “Take my brother home. Now. That is an order, Lady Valkyrie,” Thor told you firmly, pulling rank. He wouldn’t be pulling rank if it weren’t important and you all knew it. You heard the fear in his voice and saw it in his eyes. He was afraid for you. “I will deal with Hugin and Munin. Go. Now.”

    You ran to Loki, grabbed his arm and teleported the two of you back to his room in the tower as fast as you could, desperate to get him safely away from the ravens and the danger they contained.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late. The Writer will proof the chapter later.

    You scanned the room for threats the second you appeared in Loki’s room, ignoring the blood dripping down your arm, ignoring the pain from the burns using a trick you’d learned nearly a thousand years ago to hide pain and discomfort from your conscious mind while you focused on your duty.

    You relaxed when you saw that the room was clear and turned to Loki. “Are you alright?” you asked, looking him over with a healer’s eye. He sighed heavily in exasperation, bent, and threw you over his shoulder as he stood again. You yelped as the leather of his armor dug uncomfortably into your stomach and cried out in pain when your red blistered, bleeding arms hit his back, breaking your concentration on hiding the pain from your mind. “Loki!” you protested, and even you could hear the pain in your voice.

    He set you carefully on his bed. “ _I’m_ fine. _You’re_ the one actively bleeding and the idiot Jotun who jumped in front of a fireball,” he reminded you sourly. He was angry you were hurt, angrier that you had been hurt saving him, but you could also see his worry over your injuries.

    “That fireball was going to hit you. There was no way in hell you were dodging it,” you reminded him equally sourly, trying to focus on bickering instead of pain. Pain would make you useless. Bickering was more useful.

    “I could have taken it,” he growled, looking over your injuries. You avoided looking as you got the pain back hidden behind shields in your mind. It took a lot of concentration, though. “We’re safe, you can ditch the armor, by the way,” AKA he wanted you in better clothes for him to work on your arms. His own armor shimmered away to a green tunic and black pants. You could tell he was upset when he automatically donned Asgardian clothes.

    “What if Thor brings danger back with him?” you protested about the armor.

    “Then you’ll summon your armor back in less than a second,” Loki reminded you, overly patiently. “But he won’t. He can deal with the ravens.” You sighed and let your armor shimmer away, settling on a blue tank top and soft black pajama pants. You glanced at your arms and wished you hadn’t. You were bleeding badly from the deep gouges the raven’s talons had left in your arm and the burns were swollen blistered messes. Jotuns were weak against fire and even small burns were worse on you than humans or Asgardians. These were not small burns and would have been even worse had Loki taken the attack instead. Loki sat beside you on the bed and summoned the first aid kit. “Why aren’t you screaming in pain? This is really bad, love,” he was in healer mode, worried about nerve damage.

    “I’m a Valkyrie. I learned early to block out pain during battle to protect our charges, as you well know,” you reminded him, your voice distracted as you focused on doing just that.

    “You should have let me take that attack. This is going to hurt just to bandage,” he was really concerned over your injury. He got to work stitching the talon wounds closed first, wincing at the small whimpers of pain you couldn’t help, though you tried, you really tried to hide how much it hurt. At least he wasn’t suggesting pain pills until you knew that you were both safe and staying that way. You wouldn’t know that until Thor came back to report on the ravens.

    “Loki. My darling prince. You have heard the oaths twice now. You have accepted them twice now. ‘My life ever before yours’,” you reminded him firmly. It was easier to focus on words and talking than on just ignoring the pain.

    He growled, frustrated, but his hands were still gentle as he worked, cleaning, stitching, bandaging your arms. You fought hard not to whimper in pain. He would just get more upset. “I never wanted...” he started, though he seemed at a loss for words.

    You reached up with the hand he wasn’t currently working on to touch his cheek. He looked at you through tears in his eyes. “I know, love,” you’d had this conversation the first time you’d been injured defending him on official duty, shortly after you’d sworn the oaths the first time.

    “I never wanted this. I never wanted your life before mine. I never wanted you hurt defending a monster like me,” his eyes and voice were so full of tears. He looked so sad and haunted.

    You leaned over and kissed him. “You’ve always been so perceptive about everyone but yourself,” you told him warmly, a fond smile on your face as you tucked a loose strand of hair back behind his ear. He looked so soft, vulnerable, and confused until he caught sight of the wounds on your arm again and snarled, remembering his task. He got back to work with the bandages and healing salve. He nodded at you to continue your thoughts. He could listen and bandage wounds at the same time. “You’re not a monster, love, you never have been. You’ve been my best friend since we were infants and I have loved you as long. Honor and oaths be damned, I would defend you to my dying breath because I love you. Not because you’re a prince. Not because of my duty to the throne. Not because of any of that bullshit, which just gives me a legal right to defend and advise you. But because I love _you_ ,”

    He looked up from his work again as he tied off the bandage on one arm. “Truly?” he asked softly, hesitantly, as if he couldn’t spot a lie himself.

    You leaned forward to steal another kiss. “Truly, my love,” you told him warmly. He gave you a small, reassured smile and got to work on your other arm. Then, to lighten to mood: “Even though it was _your_ plan with the bilgesnipe that got us grounded to a cell in the dungeons, even when _you_ decided we had to go hunt potion ingredients all night during the full moon though you _knew_ I was a walking bruise with a broken arm because of training that day, _even_ through your horrid crush and pining over Lady Ingrid,” you teased. He flushed a deep shade of red that was nearly purple at that awful reminder and you couldn’t help laughing at him.

    He glared at you for the teasing, but you saw the mischief and teasing in his own eyes. “Well, whose idea was it to steal Odin’s two thousand year aged liquor for our first attempt to get properly drunk?” he countered.

    You laughed harder at that memory. “If we were going to get well and truly drunk to find out what it was all about, we had to do it properly,” you told him just as innocently as you had all those years ago. “It’s not _my_ fault your idiot brother caught you sneaking the booze from Odin’s room and decided he needed to join in our adventure. It’s wasn’t _my_ fault that magic and that much alcohol have such...interesting results when combined.” You’d been all of around 20 years old and just stupid kids.

    “We blew up that entire wing of the palace,” he reminded you, also laughing at the ridiculous memory. “Mother grounded us all until the repairs were completed. _And_ she made us live through that awful hangover alone in the dungeons as a lesson,”

    “I still think they took an extra long time on the repairs just to keep us out of trouble for a week,” you grumbled, still not over being locked in the dungeons for a week. At least you’d been across the hall from Loki so you had some entertainment.

    “So, my darling, you have an embarrassing old romance to tease me about. Surely there must be _someone_ over the last 900 years... or do I only get to tease you about that oaf Lord Bodil?” he teased.

    “Lord Bodil was a moron and had _no_ shot with me, as you damn well knew before you suggested he attempt to woo me,” you reminded him with a glare. That had been a horrible experience. Loki had watched from the sidelines, smirking the entire time while the poor courtier had tried to stumble his way through asking you out. It was about the same time that Loki was pining over Lady Ingrid, and he had done it just to be an ass. “In answer to your other question, just because _you_ had 900 years of practice courting ladies, which I don’t fault you for of course,” it wasn’t _his_ fault he hadn’t remembered you. Of course he would have dated in that time. “Doesn’t mean _I_ had 900 years of being courted,” you reminded him grumpily. “The inability to touch the mortals is not conducive to having a relationship with one,” you reminded him. “Besides, I had to keep moving around a lot so the mortals wouldn’t figure out that I don’t age like they do. I was burned at the stake once, that was more than enough,”

    “How did you find out you couldn’t touch the mortals, anyway? I can,”

    You shuddered at the memory. “You’re full Jotun, so you have more control over your Jotun form than I do,” you explained quickly. He nodded, accepting that part of the explanation. “Anyway, it was shortly after Odin sent me here. Some asshole thought I was an easy target to attack because I was a maiden living alone. He attacked me on my way home, his intentions were...” you shuddered again, remembering his sickening thoughts. “Dishonorable,” you finally completed that thought. Loki growled at someone dare act dishonorably toward you. “He died when he touched my bare skin, before I could even shove a blade into him. It’s happened a couple other times over the years, but never to innocents. I’ve been careful on that front,” you added quickly. You had been mighty careful over the years, but during battles and stupid men and pickpockets couldn’t be helped.

    “I shall have to give you the experience of a proper courtship, then,” Loki said a bit sadly.

    There was a knock on his bedroom door before you could answer and you jumped to your feet, pushing Loki back down on the bed when he tried to join you. You went to the door and yanked it open, dagger already pointed and primed for the chest of the person on the other side. You stopped your movement when the dagger was a centimeter from impaling the Thor on the other side of the door. He didn’t look concerned at all at nearly being impaled, except when he saw the half-done bandage unraveling from your arm.

    “How badly were you injured?” he demanded.

    “What did the ravens want?” you countered as you vanished the blade and stepped back from the door. Loki rushed over to you after he managed to get up from where you’d pushed him back onto the bed.

    “Would you stop that, you stubborn little Valkyrie?” he grumbled. You smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

    “Can’t,” you told him with a smirk. He muttered about incorrigible Valkyries and finished tying off the bandage he’d been working on when Thor interrupted.

    “You’re also not going to take anything for the pain until Thor tells us about the stupid winged rats are you?” he grumbled.

    “Nope,”

    “Talk quickly, Brother,” Loki growled at Thor.

    Thor boomed his laughter. “How bad are her injuries?” he asked Loki, finally remembering that you wouldn’t talk about it. You took inventory of the bandages and fought back a curse. You hadn’t paid attention while Loki worked, distracting yourself from the pain instead. You had bandages from your palms to your elbows. It had been a miracle you’d been able to hold the dagger at all to threaten Thor with.

    “Bad. She was burned pretty severely and the talon wounds were deep, which is your fault, clumsy oaf,” Loki grumbled. “And she’s hiding a ton of pain, I’m sure,” you shrugged at that. He wasn’t wrong.

    “Were this many bandages _really_ necessary?” you grumbled at Loki. You could barely move your hands at all.

    “Quite necessary. Don’t even think about complaining or I’ll have to remind you that you don’t want nerve damage and you would like for your hands and arms to heal properly so you can continue being a Valkyrie,” Loki told you pleasantly. You huffed.

    “Fine,” you grumbled. He kissed your cheek and wrapped an arm around your shoulders reassuringly, protectively.

    Thor shrugged in response to Loki’s grumbling about him being a clumsy oaf. “It was more important to try to get you two away from the ravens, though I do not believe I succeeded...” he was sad by that and you understood his sentiment. “They were here to spy, as per usual. I’m sure they know who you are, I tried to get you away before they could see your sigil, but I do not believe I stopped them in time. I made sure we did not give them any indication that _we_ know who you are. I am sure our parents will assume we know, that you would believe it dishonorable to leave us without our memories... all we can do is wait for the fallout...”

    “I doubt Odin is going to be pleased...” you said softly.

    “He does not have jurisdiction on Midgard,” Thor offered the suggestion that things might be ok because of it.

    “No, but he can order you two to return home,” you reminded him sourly. They both blanched at that. It hadn’t occurred to either of them apparently.

    “I won’t allow it,” Loki said firmly, holding you more tightly against him. “I finally found you again. I will not allow him to take you from me again. He exiled you to protect his secret about me. That secret has been exposed. There’s no reason for him to keep you in exile anymore. I will _not_ let him take you from me a second time. You’re my Valkyrie, bound to my service, and we are children no longer.” You’d been 150, technically adults, but still, the Allfather had had the ultimate decision. You’d been so young and so far under his thumb. Neither of you had been able to fight his decision then, but there was a hope of having more leverage and power now.

    “It will be alright, Kyrie,” Thor added. You nodded and had to trust in your princes to keep you safe. “Speaking of Father, kindly never make my ears bleed with that particular curse again. Seriously, coming from a lady...” You laughed at his offended look.

    “Do you know how badly being burned hurts a Jotun?” you asked him. “It would have been worse had Loki taken that fireball, which was the intention of that idiot monster.” Thor looked even more horrified at that idea. He knew how susceptible Loki was to burning. He nodded at you, then, accepting your certainty that you’d done the right thing.

    “Brother, pleasant as it is for you to come give us unpleasant news, I would very much like to get my lady to bed so she can recover,” Loki said pleasantly, pulling you back away from the door so he could slam it in Thor’s face. You laughed at Thor’s spluttering on the other side. Before you could protest, Loki had swept you up in his arms. You protested, but he quieted you with a kiss. “Hush, love. You saved me, I get to care of you, that’s the deal,” he reminded you.

    “Cheater,” you told him, but let him tuck you into bed. And even let him dose you with pain meds. He was right and that was your arrangement.

    “Rest, darling. It’ll only be a couple of days. You heal remarkably fast,” he kissed your forehead and climbed into the bed, pulling you to him so your head was on his chest. He knew you’d fret otherwise. You still protested softly. “Shh, Kyrie-love. We’ll go out somewhere nice when you’ve healed, I promise,”

    *

    It took a few days before your arms healed enough for the bandages to come off and you hated every minute of it. Well, almost every minute. Loki did bribe you to be in a reasonable, read non-homicidal, mood with kisses, reading to you, and amusing you by pranking all of the Avengers. He _did_ have to disappear to help out the team on occasion, and you were even more grumpy, read borderline-homicidal, at being left behind when Loki was potentially in danger. Cap, Tony, and Loki all insisted it was important and left you in Thor’s care, read let Thor baby-sit you so you wouldn’t stab people. Stark was impressed you could stab people without issues, but couldn’t hold a fork without magic, and had to have Loki brush your hair. That last part you didn’t mind at least.

    Needless to say, the entire team was relieved when the bandages could come off your arms, though you still had to be careful for a few more days.

    *

    “C’mon, Lohk, it’ll be fun!” you had one of Loki’s hands in both of yours and dragged him toward the elevator, that Saturday morning. The temperature had finally started cooling, like it realized it was nearly fall outside.

    “Darling, you haven’t told me where we’re going, just what to wear,” Loki protested. He had also protested the jeans you had told him to wear, though not the soft green long-sleeved shirt whose fabric he had cooed over because it was so soft.

    “That, my darling prince, is because it is a surprise,” you reminded him overly patiently. You were dressed similarly in jeans and a super soft thin sweater.

    “Thor will worry if he doesn’t know where we are,” Loki protested. He wasn’t protesting the outing. He was protesting that you hadn’t told him where you were going. Especially as he was taking you out for a romantic excursion of some variety that evening.

    You grinned at Loki. “Good thing I told him where we’re going, then. The entire team knows, and knows how to reach us if there’s an emergency,” you replied before he could come up with more protests. “Now come on before I decide that you need a blindfold so you don’t find out where we’re going,”

    “Brother! Save me!” Loki reached out a hand to Thor, who was laughing at his brother from one of the couches in the living room, where Thor was enjoying a huge mug of coffee.

    “You are a creature made entirely of silliness,” you told Loki, exasperated with his antics, but laughing at the same time.

    “Mischief and chaos, love,” he corrected, teasing in return.

    “I know better than to pick a fight with your lady. You are on your own, Brother. Go have fun,”

    With that, Loki let you drag him onto the elevator and down to the garages. He stopped protesting when you were out of sight of the others and just wrapped an arm around your shoulders, while yours went around his waist and he kissed your hair.

    You summoned the keys to one of Tony’s cars. It was one he said you could borrow indefinitely. Loki opened your car door for you, even though you were driving. You smiled, impressed that he knew the custom.

    “Now will you tell me where we’re going?” Loki pestered once he was in the car.

    “Nope,” you told him brightly and began the drive. He huffed and pestered and bothered, but you held firm until you arrived at the shabby run-down looking building.

    “Darling, this does not look like a good place for us to be...” Loki told you doubtfully.

    “I’m aware of that. Looks can be deceiving,” you told him. “I swear, it’ll be fun,” you added at his dubious expression. He got out of the car, looking put-upon and like he feared he was going to have to protect you from thugs or something. You took his hand and led him inside.

    His jaw fell open when he saw the ice rink. “It’s ice...” he said stupidly, watching the people who were already skating.

    You grinned. “That it is,” you told him, amused by his baffled expression, and led him up to the counter. You paid and got ice skates for you both. You put them on at the edge of the rink and glided out onto the ice with well-practiced movements.

    “Darling, I don’t know how,” Loki admitted softly.

    “Trust me, love. You do know how,” you glided back over to him and took his hands. “Come on, trust me,” he hesitated, unsure at the tiny blades on his feet verses the ice rink. You sighed and pushed up your sleeve, displaying the tattoo on your wrist. “Am I really going to let you be hurt, your highness?” you asked with a hint of teasing. He gave you a small smile, lifted your arm, kissed the sigil on your wrist, and finally went with you onto the ice, reassured by your words and gesture.

    You were a thousand percent correct that he was a natural on the ice. After one circuit of the rink he was comfortable and giddily enjoying skating with you. Neither of you were affected by the cold and were only wearing long sleeves to not look strange to the mortals. When he got more comfortable, you danced your way across the ice and even showed him how to do a jump and land without killing himself.

    “How did you learn how to do this?” Loki asked when you sat on the sidelines drinking hot chocolate for a break.

    “One of the places I lived for awhile the lakes, rivers, and creeks would freeze over every winter. It was easier to skate to town than to try to navigate the snow covered roads. I put on a pair of skates and picked it up automatically, just like you did,” you told him. “It’s in our blood,” you reminded him, but cryptically enough that the mortals wouldn’t pick up what you were talking about.

    *

    You enjoyed your morning of ice skating, had a nice lunch out, and went back to the tower for a couple hours of quiet reading before whatever Loki had planned for that evening. He wasn’t telling you what he had planned either. It was only fair, though frustrating as hell.

    “Your outfit for the evening is laying out on your bed for you, my love,” Loki whispered in your ear late that afternoon. The entire team traded knowing looks. Apparently, they all knew what Loki was up to and probably what he was planning for the evening.

    “I take it that’s my cue to go put it on?” you teased with a grin. He inclined his head with a smirk.

    “I will meet you upstairs in an hour,” he told you warmly. Most women would be offended at only getting an hour to get ready, or having their date tell them that they were only getting an hour to get ready. You weren’t most women. Also Loki knew exactly how long it took you to get ready for any event from weapons training to a formal ball. You grew up across the hall from him. You knew that him giving you an hour was him giving you more than enough time, especially with magic involved. You snapped your book shut and vanished it as you stood from the couch.

    “Very well, silly trickster,” you told him and leaned down to kiss him lightly before you teleported upstairs. There was a gorgeous black floor length halter dress laid out on your bed. There was a matching shawl and heels laid out as well. When you touched the fabric of the dress, you saw that the top layer was actually a shimmery material that would shimmer blue as you moved and it caught the light. It was beyond gorgeous. You smiled at your Loki, knowing he was planning something fancy and elegant for the evening and ducked into your bathroom to get a quick shower. It definitely didn’t take you the full hour to get ready, especially with magic, but you took extra care on your hair and makeup. You wanted to look extra nice for this evening. It obviously meant a lot to Loki to set up something Midgardian for you to do.

    There was a polite knock on your bedroom door exactly an hour after you’d left the living room. Of course Loki was prompt. It wouldn’t do for the overly polite prince to not be, especially when he was wooing his lady. Though really, you were already wooed...

    You opened the door and smiled warmly at your prince, who was in an all-black perfectly tailored suit of sexiness. “Your highness,” you greeted him with no hint of sarcasm on your lips this time as you dipped into the proper curtsy. This wasn’t an occasion for joking, not when he was putting so much effort into this evening.

    He took your hand to raise you from the curtsy and bowed over it to kiss your knuckles. “Lady Valkyrie, you look wonderful this evening,” he greeted you formally and presented you with a bouquet of roses.

    You accepted them with a bright smile. “Thank you, my prince is too kind.” Ok, you couldn’t keep formality with him forever, at least not in private. In public in Asgard was one thing... He smiled, though, and the bouquet was suddenly in a vase, which was floating out of your arms to the nightstand next to the bed. Showoff.

    “You are most welcome. Shall we, Lady?” he asked and offered you his arm. You placed your hand lightly on his arm. You waved at your door when you stepped away from it and it closed behind you. He gave you a smirk, knowing you were showing off as well. You smiled at his knowing expression and you both laughed.

    “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” you asked as you rode the elevator down to the garage.

    “No,” he replied with a grin. You huffed.

    “Of course you’re not. That’s what I get...” you grumbled.

    He kissed your cheek. “That is _exactly_ what you get, my darling,” he told you kindly as you walked to ‘your’ car.

    “You’re going to have to give me directions at least,” you teased.

    “No, I will not,” he replied with a mischievous grin.

    “Lohk...” your voice was a warning. Playing around with cars wasn’t a wise decision for anyone. You two would survive a car crash, but mortals were much more breakable.

    “Trust me, darling,” he said as he opened the car door on the passenger side for you. He held your hand as he seated you in the car and he carefully closed the car door when you were settled. He got in the driver’s seat.

    “When did you learn how to drive?” you asked incredulous and impressed as he backed out of the spot and actually seemed to know what he was doing.

    “During all of those ‘missions’ while you were injured. The Captain taught me. He thought it would be a useful skill and Lady Natasha created a convincing document for the authorities should the need arise, which I assure you it will not,”

    “Impressive,” you told him honestly and he beamed in pride over the compliment. “Also sneaky, silly trickster. I could have taught you,”

    “You could have, but then I could not have surprised you,” he replied warmly, obviously enjoying his surprise. You didn’t blame him. It was a good surprise and something he could be proud of learning. It wasn’t long before you pulled into a different parking garage. “Apologies, darling, we do have a short walk to our first destination,”

    “That’s not a problem,” you replied as he parked in the garage. It seemed to have automatically recognized Tony’s car. Loki came around to open your car door and offered you a hand to help you out of the car. You took it, though you didn’t really need the help. He escorted you a couple of blocks to a nearby theater. You both scanned the streets as you walked, automatically watching for danger without looking like you were watching for danger. It also seemed perfectly normal to be walking with Loki escorting you, just like old times. When you entered the theater, Loki pulled a pair of tickets from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “You did do the thing properly,” you told him, still impressed.

    “Of course I did, darling. I did promise you a proper evening out,” he kissed your cheek before he handed the tickets to the ticket collector. You caught his slightly threatening glance at the people who were looking at you. There were whispers, questions if you were really Loki and Valkyrie, a couple of whispered dares to look at your arm for your tattoo. Your arms were bare. You ignored them and kissed Loki’s cheek reassuringly. The usher led you up to one of the boxes. You caught Loki tipping them for their assistance, and were impressed again. He really had done his research. You wondered who helped him.

    The view of the stage was fantastic. “So, how did you learn so much about Midgardian dating customs?” you asked while you waited for the show to start.

    “Stark was helpful...for once. The other men of the Avengers were as well,” he admitted. You laughed and wondered what bribe Loki had had to use on Stark for that bit of help. You realized that you still had no idea what show you were here to see. You wondered how you’d missed the signage, but figured your trickster had intervened somehow.

    You watched in anticipation when the show began and realized it was ballet, Swan Lake to be exact. It was a fantastic show and so beautiful. You hadn’t seen ballet live before. You glanced over at Loki, knowing that Midgardian men became bored very quickly with ballet, but he watched with interest, true interest. You could see when he was faking.

    *

    “The show was fantastic,” you told him over dinner at the small, but fancy restaurant. “I can’t believe they do that without magic!”

    “The feats of the mortals are quite impressive,” he agreed.

    You chatted about the show throughout the course of dinner. Topics also included gossip about the team, old stories about them, previous missions, laughing about embarrassing things Thor had done in his youth, and reminiscing about the extremely ill-fated royal family camping trip.

    Loki ordered an extremely chocolaty fudgy cake creation for dessert. You both had an unhealthy love of sweets, and this thing was to die for. You both grinned like children over it and devoured the entire thing with no qualms whatsoever.

    “Darling, I did have a question for you. A mystery of the missing memories so to speak,” Loki said when the dessert was gone, while you were chatting and finishing your glasses of wine.

    “You’re still missing memories?” you asked concerned. “You should have told me!” You hadn’t realized that your magic hadn’t worked right, that he was still missing things.

    “No, no, love, nothing like that. Your magic was quite effective. No need to fear. I just had a bit of a mystery I’ve been pondering and I thought you might be able to help,” he corrected with a smile.

    “What mystery?” you asked, curious. You caught an edge to his emotions. He was up to something. You just couldn’t quite place a finger on what it was.

    There was a shimmer of green magic and a small box appeared in his hand, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand comfortably. “I’ve had this in my trinket box for 900 years and have been pondering for all of that time why in the nine realms I had it. Would you mind taking a look to see if you can figure it out?” Obviously he had placed whatever it was in a different box to show it to you tonight.

    “Of course,” you replied and reached across the table. Loki passed you the box and watched as you removed the lid. Inside was a smaller box, surrounded by cloth so it wouldn’t move. Only one kind of box in all the nine realms looked like that.

    It was a ring box.

    You lifted the ring box out carefully. 900 years? He’d had it 900 years? He’d had it before you were exiled? No.

    It couldn’t be...

    You opened the lid of the ring box and saw a beautiful diamond in a gorgeous delicate silver ring setting. It was gorgeous, the design simple, but elegant.

    You looked to Loki and saw that he had moved while you were shocked at the ring. He was on one knee beside your chair. The entire restaurant was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “I do apologize, my darling, that this is coming 900 years later than planned. I hope you will forgive the delay. Now that I have found you again, I do not wish to spend another single day without you in my life, at my side, in my heart. My love, my darling, my dearest, my Valkyrie, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

    “Yes, of course, yes!” you told him without thought. It was exactly what you’d wanted since you could remember. What you always thought would happen since you turned 100 and Loki kissed you the first time. What you and the entire court had thought would happen until the day you were exiled. You and Loki both stood. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him to the applause of the restaurant.

    When you finally broke the kiss, Loki took the ring box from your hand, carefully removed the ring, and slipped it on your finger where he had planned on it being for 900 years. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is past the Writer's bedtime. Proofing will come later

    You walked arm-in-arm with Loki back to the car, occasionally glancing at the ring on your finger, not quite believing it was there after all of these years. When you were young, you’d expected it to happen eventually, but after you were exiled, you gave up hope of ever seeing Loki again.

    “Unfortunately, we must stop by the living room before we can go upstairs,” Loki told you when he parked the car back in the garage at the tower. “The team insisted on seeing for themselves that you were returned home safely,” he added grumpily as he came around the car to your car door. You laughed as you took his hand and let him help you from the car.

    “Don’t be offended, love. They just want to make sure we’re home safely,” you told him warmly, laying your hand on his arm to walk with him to the elevator.

    “They wished to make sure _you_ were home,” he corrected.

    You shrugged. “Midgardians are weird.” He finally relaxed and inclined his head about that one. “Surely Thor wants to make sure we’re both home,” you suggested. You knew Thor worried about Loki, even in your care. He didn’t answer that, so you knew you were right.

    “How was your evening?” Thor asked pleasantly when you stepped off the elevator.

    “Might as well show the oaf, Kyrie-love,” Loki told you warmly. Damn Trickster had told his brother what he was up to tonight.

    “You are an incorrigible showoff,” you told him, but softened your words by kissing his cheek. He smirked in reply, and didn’t deny it. You stepped over to Thor and held out your left hand so he could see the ring.

    “Congratulations, Lady Valkyrie!” Thor boomed. “Finally figured out why you had that ring in your trinket box for 900 years, huh, Brother?” Thor teased.

    “He bothered you about it?” you asked, surprised.

    “I caught him pondering the ring one day and teased him about his mystery lady,” Thor replied.

    “Wait!? You’re engaged?” Nat demanded, jumping to her feet and leaping over Clint to come see the ring. The rest of the team came around too and carefully oohed over the shiny, careful not to touch your skin. “You have an excellent eye for jewelry, Loki,” Nat complimented his choice. He looked surprised for a moment to be addressed directly, but he inclined his head, accepting the compliment for what it was.

    “Loki acquired that ring over 900 years ago, before Kyrie was sent to Midgard,” Thor explained to the others. You stepped back and went back from the crowd of the others and went back to Loki. He wrapped and arm around you and kissed your temple, reassuring. The others wouldn’t touch you. They knew better.

    There were toasts and more congratulations before you were finally able to escape upstairs with Loki. His arm was around you as you walked down the hall to your rooms. You saw his hesitation, he wanted to invite you to stay with him, at least for awhile, to enjoy the rest of your evening, but he obviously didn’t want to push either. You summoned a bottle of the Asgardian mead and two wine glasses. “Nightcap?” you asked a little shyly, not entirely sure of your welcome.

    He took a step toward his room automatically. His rooms had always been the shared space over the years. “That sounds like an excellent idea, darling,” he told you warmly and opened his bedroom door for you. You stepped past him, scanning the room automatically for threats as you stepped through his shields over the threshold. You kicked off your heels next to the door and settled on his bed, pouring mead into the wine glasses. You watched as he stripped off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and carefully rolled up his shirt sleeves. You floated one of the wine glasses over to him.

    You sat on his bed, chatting for a few glasses of mead. “Mind if I find something more comfortable to wear?” you asked, not feeling like using magic to change right now.

    He gestured to his dresser. “Help yourself.” You rescued one of his tunics from the dresser and with your back to him, carefully slipped off your dress and bra. You knew his eyes were on you as you slipped his tunic over your head. It came down to your thighs, so was perfectly acceptable for this. When you turned back to the bed, he was lounging in nothing but pajama pants. Nothing but pajama pants. He had liked what he saw too...

    You smiled and joined him, the mead forgotten as you curled into his arms to kiss him. He welcomed you with open arms. The kisses started light, but quickly grew in heat as your lips parted, your tongue danced with his. You shifted, straddling his lap, your fingers wound in his hair and you slowly kissed your way down his neck to the spot where it met his shoulder and he moaned in pleasure. You could feel him hard under you, through the loose material of his pajama pants.

    You sucked gently on the spot on his neck, fingers still wound in his hair, tugging ever, ever so gently. He gasped and moaned in pleasure, his hands sliding down your back to cup your ass. You leaned up to kiss him properly again.

    He paused before things went too far. “Kyrie-love, just because we got engaged tonight doesn’t mean that I expect-” he started, but stumbled for what he was trying to stay. “I love you dearly, but we don’t have to do this tonight. We have all of eternity, there’s no rush. I know you haven’t...” he hesitated again, not wanting to push. You weren’t surprised he had indulged over the centuries, nor did you fault him for it. You appreciated that he wanted to make sure you were comfortable with the pace. He knew you hadn’t kissed in over 900 years. Obviously you hadn’t done anything else with the mortals either, but he didn’t know...

    “That...isn’t an issue,” you finally replied. You had to be careful of what you said. You were under orders after all. He raised an eyebrow, not expecting that response. You couldn’t lie to him. Damn god of lies. You sighed heavily and climbed off his lap to sit next to him. The mood was broken and this conversation needed to happen now. He needed to know.  He sat up again to look at you, sensing the heavy conversation. “I have... before. Once, but still...” you finally added since he wouldn’t stop giving you that look that demanded an explanation.

    He growled, his eyes narrowing, coming to the wrong conclusion, as his anger flared. “Who? Who do I need to kill for touching you?” he growled. You saw the assumption that it was against your will.

    You shook your head. “It wasn’t like that,” you reassured him quickly.

    He blinked quickly, confused. “But... I gave you your first kiss...” he said softly, hurt, assuming more wrong assumptions, but you let him talk. He had to tease out enough of the story for himself before you could help him. You had orders. “There were no competitors in the city of the Valkyries and we were together from the moment you returned home...” his voice was hurt. “I would understand if in the years were were apart...” You shook your head. “While we were together?” he demanded, angrily, his rage flaring. “Who?” he snarled. “Why would you do that?” he growled, but with tears in his eyes.

    “I swear I didn’t betray you. I would rather die than betray you, but I’ve been forbidden to tell you what happened,” you told him softly, just as frustrated, tears in your eyes. He growled.

    “Who could possibly-?” he started.

    “Your Mother,” you told him firmly. “She pulled rank and gave me the order all of those years ago, forbidding me to tell you, reforbid it when I became a full Valkyrie, and it’s still binding today,” you snarled, frustrated and angry at Frigga for the first time that you could remember. You held out your wrist to him, so he could see the tattoo there. “If you want answers, override the order,” you reminded him. He was the only one who _could_ override the order. You were bound to his service. He hated pulling rank more than anything, but...

    He took your wrist more roughly than truly necessary and lifted it so his lips touched the sigil on your arm. “Tell me what the Queen forbade you to divulge. Your prince demands it,” he ordered, his voice a growl. You could hear his unspoken words, he would decide if you got to keep the ring he had given you when he heard your tale.

    “It was a couple months before we turned a hundred, before I left for the trials,” you started and nearly sighed in relief that it had worked and you were free to finally tell him. He sat and listened to you speak, impassively. “Lady Hilde wouldn’t stop flirting with you, insisting you were going to be hers. She wanted the conquest of one of the princes and you were too polite back then to deny her firmly enough to leave you alone. I stopped her when I was around, since she made you uncomfortable, but I couldn’t be with you every moment. She forced a love potion on you at a feast one evening, spiking your drink. She made the mistake of bragging about it too loudly to a couple of the other court ladies within my hearing. I thoroughly kicked her ass for it, since I couldn’t _legally_ do anything more at the time, threw you over my shoulder, and dragged you both to our mothers.

    My Lady Mother took care of Lady Hilde. She is well and truly dead, I’m sure. Mother could take care of her even though I couldn’t at the time. I was too late to save you from the effects. Even your mother couldn’t do anything. The only thing we could do was let the potion wear off on its own. You were a mess, love,” you didn’t have the words to describe the state he had been in. “That potion was strong and... love potions never truly work as expected. They’re finicky at best. The love part faded almost immediately, if it had ever worked at all, but it left...” you hesitated.

    “Lust,” he supplied softly. You nodded.

    “Lust and so much rage. You were _suffering_. It was all I could do to keep you from slaughtering everyone in the palace, though somehow you could stand my presence. I don’t know who sent her, I never asked. I never wanted to know. But someone thought one of the... pleasure women... might give you some relief, but you nearly splattered the walls with her blood for the insult on your honor at the suggestion. I only just got her out of the room with her life, by literally throwing her bodily from your room. I held you while you sobbed and whimpered at what that shit did to your body and mind,” you shuddered at the memory. He had been in such an awful state.

    “You...” he said softly, haunted by memories he didn’t even have, he couldn’t ask the question that he wanted to. He wanted to ask if you’d given him the sex the potion had demanded.

    You nodded, answering his unasked question. You’d done your duty to your prince, but not for that, but because you loved him and it was the only thing that would help, that would end the torture sooner. “I gave you what comfort and relief I could,” you didn’t need to go into details on that. He wouldn’t want to know. “My...assistance... helped and after three days straight of hell and suffering, you could finally sleep and slept the rest of that stupid love potion off. We got through that mess together, but when you finally came out of it completely, you didn’t remember a thing. Knowing the state you’d been in, your mother thought it best it stayed that way and ordered me to never tell you about the love potion incident. There are very, very few at the court who even know about it,”

    He pulled you into his arms, looking horrified. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I can’t believe you did that for me...” he said softly. “I can’t- I still don’t remember-”

    “Do you want to really know?” you asked him.

    He hesitated, but finally nodded. “I need to know,” you sat up again, closed your eyes, took a breath, organizing your thoughts, organizing the memories so he would see what he was looking for. You nodded and his fingertips touched your temples. He was in your mind a moment later, a polite visitor, only viewing the memories that were offered. Unfortunately, you both had to relive that hell in the viewing.

    You held him while he shuddered at the memories,stroking his hair, rubbing his back. You presumed that viewing your recollection of the events sparked his own proper memories. You didn’t ask, just held him, soothing until he finally relaxed enough to fall asleep in your arms.

    It wasn’t how you’d been planning on ending your evening, but the story had to be told. He had to know.

    You kissed his forehead and he made a soft noise. “Shh, love. You’re safe now. No one will ever hurt you like that again,” you told him softly. He smiled softly and settled back into sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

    He had nightmares all night. You soothed them away, petting his hair, rubbing his back, using magic here and there to scare the nightmares away. You could go without sleep, for days if needed and had done so frequently during the trials. You stroked his hair and sang him old lullabies from home, soothed away his fears and the old memories.

    You wished you could go back in time and kill that bitch yourself.

    The sun was just rising when he woke properly. “Kyrie?” he asked softly, confused, scared, bruised.

    “I’m here,” you told him and kissed his forehead. “You’re safe,” you added. He still looked so soft and innocent and bruised. You ran your fingers again through his hair.

    “I... she...”

    “I know, darling. She is very, very dead and can’t hurt you anymore,” you reminded him. “Your Lady Mother wished to keep those memories from you for a reason,” you added equally softly, wondering if she had been right, though you knew she hadn’t. He deserved to know.

    “She was wrong,” he growled. You kissed his forehead again and smiled. That sounded more like your Loki.

    “Come on, love, you’ll feel better when you’ve eaten something,” you told him gently and started to climb out of bed. He growled and his arms wrapped around you, holding you to him tightly. You sighed and rolled your eyes. “Loki~”

    “You stayed up all night, didn’t you?” he asked, finally seeming to remember how many times he woke during the night.“You were singing...”

    “I tried to scare the nightmares away,” you told him, knowing you weren’t as successful as you’d liked. The memories had been too strong. “Come on, love, at least lets go get a cup of tea.” He growled softly again. You sighed exasperated. “Or I can go get something for you if you’re not up to leaving...” he was still so bruised, but you knew he’d feel steadier getting out of the room for a little while, eating something, stabbing Thor if that’s what it took.

    It took some cajoling, but you finally got him up out of the bed and down to your couch in the living room. You tucked a blanket around him and handed him a cup of tea. You kissed his forehead again and went to go make breakfast for you both. Thor came in at some point and greeted Loki. You didn’t pay them much mind, focused on keeping the eggs from burning.

    You took Loki’s plate in to him and started to head back to the kitchen to get yours, but stopped short in surprise at Thor standing directly behind you. “Odin’s beard! You should know better than to sneak up on me Thunderhead.” He grabbed both of your wrists in one hand and backed you toward the nearest wall. “Thor? What are you doing?” you demanded, scared of the hatred and anger in his eyes. He slammed your wrists into the wall above your head, holding you off balance on your tip toes. “Thor!” you protested.

    “What did you do to him?” he snarled, gesturing at Loki, who was scrambling off the couch, horrified, to come to your rescue.

    “I didn’t do anything!” You protested, trying to break his grip on your wrists. His grip just tightened. You hitched up a leg to kick him. “Let me go, Thor,” you warned.

    “Why is he like this?” Thor demanded instead and pulled you from the wall to slam you against it, jarring you from kicking him.

    “He had nightmares all night, from painful old memories, if you must know. Now let me go,” you snarled a final warning before you hurt him.

    “What did you do?” he growled, lifting your wrists even higher, keeping you off your feet. You were eye to eye with him now. He was also pointedly ignoring Loki’s dagger at his throat and Loki’s threats. Also the dagger sticking out of his side.

    “Do you know about Lady Hilde?” you asked. He looked horrified and dropped you. You cursed when you hit the ground, hard. You hadn’t known if Thor knew about the love potion incident, but his reaction seemed to indicate he had. Loki shoved Thor away from you and wrapped his arms protectively around you.

    “Are you alright, Kyrie-love?” he asked. You nodded and kissed his cheek.

    “I’m fine. Your brother is just an idiot as per usual. Go eat your breakfast. I’ll deal with the oaf,” you told him brightly. He hesitated, still bruised, but now afraid for you. Thanks, Thor, that was just what you needed, an unsteady and now afraid Loki. “I promise not to kill him all the way. It would so upset your mother,” Loki gave you a small smile and finally went back to his breakfast, trusting you and your ability to take care of yourself. Thor turned to you and opened his mouth. “No need to apologize, Thunderhead. I would have worried over him too in this state,” you kept your voice soft so Loki wouldn’t hear your conversation.

    “He remembers, then?” Thor asked. You nodded, but raised an eyebrow, questioning how he knew. “Mother told me what happened, a warning so I would not fall to the same trick.” You nodded. That made sense.

    “He’ll be ok, Thor. Just give him a little time,” you told Thor firmly. He hesitated, hating seeing Loki so unbalanced, but finally nodded.

    He clapped your shoulder. “I should not have doubted you, Lady Valkyrie. I neglected to remember how much you care for him. I had grown used to him being so alone...”

    “I know, Thunderhead,” you told him and kissed his cheek. “You’re both stuck with me forever now,” you teased and flashed your ring at him as you went to get your breakfast.

    “Joy...” he growled sarcastically, but was laughing. It was exactly what he wanted for you both.

    Loki regained his balance after breakfast and a quiet morning reading with you curled in his arms. You caught a nap, using his lap as a pillow while he stroked your hair absently. You were worried when Tony came in before Loki regained his balance, afraid he was going to antagonize Loki. He opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but either saw your frantic expression or the legitimate haunted look in Loki’s eyes and changed his mind, offering a polite greeting instead. You sighed in relief.

    *

    That evening the team decided to order as many pizzas as it would take to feed an entire army and beer and spend the evening around the coffee table, playing stupid games. Everyone loved Mario Kart and enjoyed the competitive game. Loki was surprisingly good at video games, so eventually Tony decided that wasn’t fair and got out Cards Against Humanity instead.

    “Winter is coming and so is...” Cap read on his turn, then flipped over one of the white cards in front of him. “Captain America’s Star Spangled Dick,” he read without seeming to comprehend the words. The entire room roared in laughter. “My what now?” he demanded half amused, half offended at the white card. That just made you all laugh harder.

    The evening devolved from there. “I think that hammer thing’s a trick!” Tony announced, pretty drunk late in the evening. You had all moved to sitting on the couches, telling stories. Thor boomed his laughter and gestured to Mjolnir in the middle of the coffee table.

    “You are welcome to try, if you believe you are worthy,” Thor offered. He wasn’t drunk, though he’d gotten out Asgardian liquor for you, Loki, and himself.

    And so the game of try to lift the Mjolnir began. No one succeeded, as predicted. Cap came closest. Nat refused to try. The group cheered each time someone failed. It seemed to be a long running game. Clint stuck his tongue out at Mjolnir when he couldn’t lift it. “Loki, your turn!” Nat called, saluting him with her bottle of beer.

    “I have had that question answered on many occasions, over our thousand plus years,” he replied, raising his mug of ale in reply and took a sip on it. “I am not worthy.” The group accepted that and cheered him anyway.

    “Kyrie, you’re the last one!” Nat told you with a grin.

    “Do I really have to play?” you asked. The group insisted and prodded. You sighed and saw Thor’s grin and Loki’s smirk. You held out a hand lazily and Mjolnir flew to you. You tossed it to Thor. The entire room just stared at you, besides Thor and Loki who laughed. You grinned at your shocked friends. Friends? When had they become friends? “Why are they so surprised?” you mock-pouted at Loki.

    He laughed and kissed your forehead. “I know not, darling. Of course an honored Valkyrie, and you most especially, would be worthy of wielding Mjolnir,”

    *

    You were called out on plenty of missions over the next couple of weeks. Your skills and Loki’s were both appreciated on the battlefield, as well as on surveillance and spying missions. You were facing down a particularly nasty group of Hydra agents who had teamed up with mutants and monsters. The battle was nasty, they had planned this battle and fought well together. You and Loki spent most of it guarding each others’ backs, using daggers, magic, ice, anything at your disposal to take down your foes.

    You heard a scream across the battlefield toward the end of the battle and your head swung over to see Nat get shot again. The bullet had gone straight through her heart. Her body crumpled to the ground, though Clint caught her, eased her down.

    “Nat!” you shrieked. No! She couldn’t be!

    But you felt it.

    She had died before her body hit the ground.

    You grabbed Loki’s hand, blew up the monster you had been facing, and ran for Nat. There wasn’t time. Loki saw it too and ran with you. You dropped his hand and ripped off your gauntlets as you ran, throwing them to the side. You ripped your cape off as well.

    “Nat! Nat no! Wake up!” Clint was shouting, holding pressure to the wound, though it was too late. Cap was beside her too, shield up to defend her and Clint.

    “Get away from her!” you ordered as you slid to your knees next to Nat’s body. There wasn’t time. “Thor, keep watch!” you barked out the order.

    “Yes, Lady Valkyrie,” he replied formally, turned his back on the scene and stood with Mjolnir held ready to defend you. You were perfectly allowed to bark orders during battle, even to the royal family.

    “Clint. Let go,” you ordered firmly, but trying to keep your voice kind.

    “But-” he was crying over the loss of his best friend. “She’s dead,”

    “Let me help her. There’s no time to explain. Let go,” you growled. He let Nat go, horrified by his actions, by your words, by his giving up, and scrambled a couple inches away. That was all you needed. You reached out with your magic and connected telepathically with Loki. He caught the connection automatically, just as you’d been doing since you learned telepathic magic so very, very, many years ago.

    “What are you doing!?” Clint demanded, horrified and angry. There was no time to answer.

    “Loki, hold the link,” you told him firmly.

    He nodded and took your hand. He bowed over it and placed his lips against the sigil on your wrist. “Valkyrie of Asgard, in the name of your prince, unleash your power,” he bid you softly. You ignored the stares and glares of the others. They didn’t understand. You felt the power flare and your black feathered wings erupted from your back, through the cleverly designed and hidden wing slits in your armor, there for just for that purpose.

    You closed your eyes, placed your hands on Nat’s stomach and chest, over the bullet wounds, and dove into the land of the dead to rescue your friend.

    You stood from your body and looked for Nat. She had wandered off already. Had tried to find her own way. Stubborn redhead. You snarled, stretched your wings, flapped them a couple of times, and took to the skies to begin your search.

    It didn’t take long to find her. She hadn’t wandered far yet. You dove back to the ground in front of her, drawing your dragonfang blade to slay one of the ghasts who attacked the dead, defended her soul against the attack.

    “Nat!” you greeted her when the ghast was slain. She looked at you confused. You wrapped your arms around her, relieved that you had found her, that she was ok.

    “Kyrie?” she asked. You nodded. “I died?” she asked, uncomprehending. It wasn’t uncommon for the dead to not understand.

    “Yes. You were shot through the heart,” you told her. She looked sad, heartbroken.

    “You’re here to take me-?”

    You smiled and shook your head. “A day will come when you and I will make the journey to Valhalla and you will be welcomed as a treasured warrior. Today is not that day. It’s not your time. Come on, there’s not a lot of time,” you told her and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could protest.

    “But, I died...”

    “And _I’m_ a Valkyrie. You don’t have to stay dead, as long as we hurry,” you told her firmly. A few wing beats and you were back in the air, carrying her back to her body. You set her down carefully beside it. “This is going to suck. It’s going to hurt. But today is not the day for you to join the other warriors in the halls of Valhalla,”

    “Do what you must,” she told you and you nearly sighed in relief. This wouldn’t work unless she _wanted_ to live again. You took her soul’s hand, knelt again in your place beside her, in line with your body, but not rejoining, not yet.

    /Loki, now!/ you thought down the telepathic link. Loki moved your body’s hand so your bare skin was on Nat’s arm. He’d picked the placement well, a little frostbite on her non-dominant arm wouldn’t kill her, or hinder her recovery. You needed physical contact for this though. You grabbed Nat’s soul, thrust it back in her body through your hand on her bare skin. You held it there, half in the land of the dead, half in the land of the living. Your power flared in both realms, holding her soul to her body while it healed around her. Usually you couldn’t heal something this bad on your own, but with the healing taking place in both the realm of the living and the realm of the dead, with your power flaring, with how much power you were using, you could do it this time.

    You had gotten there just in time. Any longer and her body and soul would have rejected the reforged union.

    You finally snapped back to yourself when the healing was complete, as if Nat had never been shot. The only hint was the blue, nearly black handprint on her arm, but even that would heal. Loki removed your hand from Nat’s arm. “It’s alright, darling. You did it. You saved her,” Loki told you softly. You were dizzy from the effort and couldn’t remember how to stand. You stayed kneeling, confirming to yourself that Nat was alive. She was breathing and fighting to wake. She’d be ok in a minute.

    “Did...she just bring Nat back from the dead?” Clint demanded. You were too out of it to talk to any of them. The battle had been finished without your help.

    Loki inclined his head and turned his attention back to you. “It is a little known skill of the Valkyrie,” he explained simply. You still hadn’t remembered yet how to get back to your feet. You were beyond drained, beyond exhausted, just wanted to curl up and sleep.

    “Your work here is done, my angel, let’s go home,” Loki told you gently, teasing a little with the silly pet name. He took your arms gently to haul you to your feet. You swayed and nearly crashed into him, making a soft small distressed noise when your body wouldn’t behave and do anything useful, like stand. He smiled gently, made a soft soothing noise, and lifted you carefully into his arms, one arm just below your shoulder blades, your wings draped over his arm and trailing nearly to the ground, his other arm under your knees. “I’ve got you, angel, everything’s alright,” he reassured you softly and kissed your forehead. It had been quite awhile since he held you while you had your wings out.

    It had been quite awhile since you’d even had your wings out.

    Your head fell onto his shoulder and you were dead asleep before he could take a single step.


	19. Chapter 19

    You woke in the bed in Loki’s room, though it was quickly becoming your shared room. You realized quickly that you were taking up way more than your fair share of the bed, laying on your side with your head pillowed on Loki’s chest, but your wings were spread out behind you, taking up quite a lot of bed on their own. In fact, it was amazing Loki hadn’t fallen off the bed.

    “Lohk, you should’ve woken me. Or at least shoved me back to my half of the bed,” you scolded him as you sat up and dragged him more securely away from the edge of the bed. He laughed and wrapped you in a hug.

    “You just moved, Kyrie-love. You were on your stomach most of the night and draped a wing over me like a blanket. It was adorable,” he told you, reassuring and kissed you. “Good morning, angel,” he said warmly.

    “Good morning, your highness,” you teased. “How long was I out?” you asked. You didn’t remember anything after saving Nat. Except crashing hard in Loki’s arms. That part you remembered. It had taken a lot of power to bring Nat back from the land of the dead.

    “Just overnight,” he replied, still reassuring. He knew how you hated losing track of time. “Lady Natasha is just fine,” he added, guessing your next question. “Or she will be in a week or so when the handprint on her arm heals. Even if it _weren’t_ going to heal, she would still be grateful to be alive, so do not even think to feel guilty for it,” he added quickly. You kissed him in reply. He knew you too well.

    You stood stretched, stretching out your wings too as you did, trying to get used to their feel again. You also noticed that your armor was gone, replaced with a nearly completely backless halter top and pajama pants. “I take it you’re to thank for the costume change?” you asked, teasing. He nodded. “Thanks,”

    “Couldn’t let you sleep in armor,” he told you warmly as he came over to wrap his arms around you. You grinned and folded your wings carefully around him. “Mmm,” he purred softly, happily in the cocoon your wings provided you both. You held him for a moment before you folded your wings against your back. They still nearly touched the floor. “The team wants to see us as soon as you’re awake,” Loki finally told you. He had hesitated over it, wanting to make sure you were ok first.

    You sighed. “They’re going to grill us on what happened, aren’t they?” you whined.

    “Probably. Do you want to be asleep awhile longer?” he asked. He’d cover for you and let you hide up here longer.

    “No, might as well get it over with,” you grumbled. “There better be breakfast involved if they’re going to give us the third degree over _exactly_ how I saved Natasha’s life,” you added, hunger sharpening your temper. It took a lot of power to save Nat and you were _starving_. On instinct, you summoned elbow-length gloves to put on before you’d leave the safety of Loki’s room. He raised an eyebrow in question.

    “They know not to touch you,” he reminded you softly.

    “I know...but...” you were uncomfortable, and they were already going to make an issue over Nat, and over your wings. You didn’t want to be reminding them that you were any more of a freak than you were.

    Loki kissed your forehead. “I love you, my little Valkyrie,” he told you softly. “All of you,”

    “I love you too,” you replied, just as softly.

    He smiled and took your gloved hand. “Come along, little bird. Let’s go find something to eat,” he bid you warmly. You laughed and went with him. He hadn’t called you that in ages.

    You were hesitant when you stepped off the elevator, nervous, timid and hid half behind Loki. “What are you afraid of, Kyrie?” he asked softly, both of your arms were wrapped around one of his.

    “They’re going to make fun of my wings. Think I’m even more of a freak,” you told him, fighting back stupid illogical tears. “They already call us smurfs, and snowmen, Elsa, and Reindeer Games.” Why? Why were you crying over something so dumb? Loki’s arms were around you and he held you while you sobbed into his shoulder. “I already can’t touch them. I scare them with how much magic I have and my thousand years of combat training. And now they know I have wings,” you wailed.

    “It’s alright, love. Everything’s ok,” he soothed. “They won’t make fun or tease, especially not today. They’re grateful you saved Lady Natasha’s life,”

    Your sobs eased and you rubbed a hand roughly over your eyes to dry them, and used a bit of magic to remove the evidence of your tears. “I’m sorry-” you usually weren’t so emotional.

    He kissed your forehead. “It’s the power drain. It makes the best of us emotional, especially with how much power it took to save Lady Natasha,” he reminded you. “You’ll feel better with some food in you,” he reminded you. You nodded again. You knew that such a power drain with no food messed with your emotions.

    He slid his arm around your waist, under your wings and held you protectively against his side as he led you to the dining room. Most of the team were already there and pretending they hadn’t heard your outburst. You flushed when you realized they had heard. They were trying not to look embarrassed for how they made you feel.

    “I’m making pancakes!” Clint called from the kitchen. “I know how much you two like them,” he added. You had saved his best friend yesterday, of course he was being nice this morning. Loki pulled out your chair at the table. You sat gently, carefully settling your wings, adjusting to their presence again. Loki pushed your chair in and kissed the top of your head.

    Clint brought in two huge stacks of pancakes and set them in front of you and Loki. “Where’s Nat?” you asked after he sat down with his own plate. You dug into your pancakes, trying to remember you were a lady and not Thor and should not just inhale the entire stack like a cartoon character. It was difficult.

    “She’s still getting dressed. She’ll be down in a minute,” Clint reassured you. “She’s doing just fine, don’t worry,” he added, noting your expression. It was indeed only a couple minutes before Nat joined you. There was a thick bandage on her arm, but otherwise she was looking just fine.

    “Natasha! You’re ok!” you exclaimed, jumping to your feet to see for yourself. You ran over to her and looked her over with a healer’s eye and sighed in relief that she really was ok.

    “Are we allowed to comment on her wings yet?” Tony whispered to Bruce next to him.

    “I wouldn’t risk it. Do you want to be defenestrated if you make her cry?” Bruce replied logically, in an equally soft whisper.

    “I can’t thank you enough for what you did,” Nat finally said when you were satisfied that she was just fine.

    “It was nothing,” you mumbled, embarrassed.

    “Sure it was...” she replied and rolled her eyes.

    “I owe you a debt,”

    It was your turn to roll your eyes. “No, you don’t, Natasha. You would have done the same if you had the same power I do,”

    “Call me Nat,” she replied with a smile. You took the offer for what it was. She was _very_ particular about her name and who could call her what. That she was giving you _permission_ to use a nickname was a big thing for her. She took your gloved hand, squeezed it in as safe of a hug as she could give you, and made her way to her spot next to Clint. You returned to your place and your stack of pancakes.

    “So, Y/N, care to explain how you brought our teammate back from the dead?” Cap asked, clapping Nat on the shoulder. She glared at him, even more defensive of you now.

    “After breakfast?” you asked between mouthfuls of pancake. Cap nodded when he realized how depleted you were, especially when Loki dumped half of his remaining pancakes onto your plate when yours were gone. You tried to protest, but he insisted and your stomach growled, drowning out your protests. So you devoured as many pancakes as your stomach could hold.

    The dishes vanished courtesy of Loki. He stood and offered you a hand. Cap cleared his throat. He still wanted an explanation. “Just relocating to the living room. I wish for Kyrie to be comfortable,” Loki told him innocently. You took his hand and let him pull you to your feet. He led you to the living room and an ottoman appeared in front of his usual spot on the couch. He pushed you gently onto it and sat on the couch behind you. You turned to look at him, wondering what he was up to. “Your wings are beautiful as ever, my love, but they are in dreadful shape. How long has it been since you tended them?” he admonished lightly. The team was filing in to take their own seats around the living room.

    “About 900 years,” you replied sheepishly. “You know damn well I can’t do it on my own. I already got burned at the stake, I wasn’t going to trust anyone with seeing my wings,” you added defensively. He gestured with a finger for you to turn back around. You did so obediently.

    “You should have said something months ago,” he told you softly, hurt that you hadn’t.

    “I didn’t think about it. I don’t exactly wear my wings openly on Midgard,” you grumbled. He carefully stretched out one of your wings and began gently running a feather-comb through your feathers, cleaning them for you, since you couldn’t do it yourself. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his gentle fingers, his careful movements, the care in which he worked.

    “Y/N,” Cap said simply, reminding you that you had a story to tell.

    You looked over your shoulder at Loki. “You talk. There’s plenty of time before I’m done with your wings,” he told you kindly. You saw in his expression that he actually enjoyed the task. It was soothing for both of you.

    You turned your attention back to the others. “The Valkyrie can go to the land of the dead,” you reminded them all. “We guide souls to the afterlife, especially the warriors to Valhalla. On rare occasions, when we are there for someone’s death, we can bring them back from the realm of the dead. That’s what I did. It takes a _lot_ of power and is not something to be counted on. The soul has to want to return to its body and the Valkyrie has to get there in time before they body and soul reject the reunion,” you explained. You didn’t want anyone relying on that ability. It was one you couldn’t count on. “I’m sorry I was so short with everyone yesterday, but there isn’t much time between death and the rejection of the reunion...” you added.

    “Y/N, you saved Romanoff’s life. As long as you didn’t kill any of the rest of us to do it, you get a pass,” Tony reminded you. “ _Now_ can I ask why you have wings without you killing me. Or your fiance throwing me through the window? I’d rather not go flying today,”

    “The Valkyrie have wings,” you finally told him. “Where do you think the christians got the ideas for angels?” you added. “I just generally don’t advertise them on Midgard...” you wouldn’t look at any of them when you admitted that. You hadn’t trusted their reactions either.

    “Can you fly?” Tony asked a follow-up question, but not mean, just curious.

    You nodded. “Used to be able to carry him too,” you gestured to Loki with a thumb. “I didn’t wear them all the time on Asgard either, but after yesterday... it takes effort and magic to make them go away again...” you admitted, still unsure of their reaction.

    “Stop worrying, Kyrie. We’ve seen weirder things than a girl with wings,” Nat reassured you. “Hell, I saw the land of the dead yesterday. That place is pretty strange,”

    “Yeah, I saw it the first time when we were seven or so. Really creepy place for a child,”

    Nat looked horrified. “You went there as a child?” she demanded. “Faced off against those...things?”

    “Thankfully I didn’t meet any of them. I didn’t know what I was doing or how I ended up there. I just had to escort an extremely brave warrior, a puppy who saved our lives by the way, to Valhalla.” You then had to tell them about the ghasts that attack the souls of the dead, that the dragonfang blades were the only things that were effective against them, which is why the Valkyrie escorted the dead, and how you’d fought one off to keep it from getting Nat.

    It took a long time and a lot of story telling, but Loki finally got your wings back properly clean. You were so thoroughly relaxed by his gentle careful work that you were half-asleep by the time he had finished. You curled up with him on the couch when he was done, your wings tucked against your back. He kissed the top of your head and wrapped a blanket around you. “I love you, my angel,” he whispered against your hair.


	20. Chapter 20

    “Kyrie, darling, I love you dearly, but are you _sure_ we need to find out if you can still fly and carry me at the same time?” Loki asked nervously a couple of days later. You were up on top of the tower, the level that was the flight deck for Tony, Thor, and jets.

    “Cap insisted,” you reminded him. Cap wanted to know your capabilities, everyone did. Cap was on the roof with you. Stark was in the air already. Thor was standing by. “Loki, I’m _not_ going to let you fall. You’ve known me your entire life. Have I ever let you down?”

    “No,” he admitted softly. “I just really dislike flying,” he reminded you and you could hear the fear in his voice, though he hid that fear from the others.

    “I know. I also know it’s because you can’t fly yourself. Trust me, love,” you bid him. “You’re the best one for this test. My skin won’t hurt you. If something _does_ happen, which it won’t, you’re capable of teleporting to safety. If something happens, which again, it won’t, I’ll teleport you to safety. Plus Stark and your idiot brother are standing by to rescue us just in case. You’ll be fine,” you reminded him firmly.

    He sighed heavily. “I go on record hating this idea,” he grumbled.

    You laughed. “At least we’re not jumping headfirst off a cliff this time, being chased by bilgesnipe,” you reminded him.

    “No, we’re only jumping headfirst off the tallest building in the city,” he commented dryly. You laughed, wrapped an arm around his waist and walked with him to the edge of the roof.

    “Ready?” you asked.

    “Hardly,” he grumbled, but wrapped his arms firmly around your neck. “This is a terrible idea,” he reminded you.

    “Trust me, my prince, I am your sworn Valkyrie, I will not allow any harm to come to you,”

    He sighed, but kissed your cheek. “Very well, my angel,” he replied. Before he could change his mind, you did exactly what he feared and leapt off of the roof, bringing him with you. Your wings were folded tightly against your back. You laughed in joy at the feel of the wind on your face as you plummeted headfirst for the ground. “You’re supposed to be flying!” Loki yelled at you. You laughed at him and spread your wings, swooping up on an air current. With a couple of wing flaps you were back up at the level of the flight deck. It was a strain on your back muscles, but you managed to get you two even higher.

    “Open your eyes, love. It’s beautiful up here,” you bid him, hovering above the city, flapping your wings to keep your altitude.

    “Yes, you are,” he told you, opening his eyes to look at you.

    “You’re supposed to be looking at the skyline, silly prince,” you replied. He glanced at the skyline.

    “Ok, I’ve seen it. Can we return to firm ground now?” he asked.

    “In a second,” you told him. He looked over at you confused. You kissed him.

    “That part is not so bad,” he told you softly, but his grip was still tight around your neck. You carefully flew the two of you back down to the flight deck. “Let us not do that again,” Loki said, firmly.

    “Only if it’s necessary,” you agreed as you folded your wings against your back, though you cringed when the muscles in your back protested. Thor congratulated you and Tony landed again. Cap agreed that was enough of a test for the day. Loki moved behind you and touched your back. He had seen your cringe. “I’m ok,” you told him, turning to look at him.

    He rolled his eyes. “Sure you are, darling. You haven’t worn your wings this long in centuries. Come on,” he grabbed your wrist. You dug in your heels and tugged ineffectively at his vice-like grip. You could make him let you go, but you preferred for him to do it on his own. He chuckled. “I’m not going to hurt you, little Valkyrie,” he teased. A moment later you were in his bedroom.

    “What are you up to, Lohk?” you asked him suspiciously. He pushed you gently toward the bed.

    “Unsurprisingly, getting you naked in my bed,” he teased and backed you toward the bed.

    “Loki...” you told him with an eyeroll of exasperation at your silly Trickster. In reply he kissed you, deeply, effectively distracting from whatever your argument was going to be. You melted into the kiss, your arms wrapping around his neck and twining in his hair. You didn’t complain when he lifted you by the waist and lifted you onto the bed, kneeling so you could still kiss him.

    He broke the kiss and smirked at you. You had enough time to look at him confused before he spun you around and carefully, but firmly pushed you forward so you fell onto your stomach, catching yourself on your outstretched arms. Before you could turn and find out what he was up to, his weight was on your back.

    And your shirt had vanished.

    He _had_ said he was getting you naked in his bed.

    “Loki, what are you doing?” you growled softly. You could still throw him off of you if you wanted to.

    “Fixing your back, now lie down,” he told you firmly, pressing his hand against the spot between your shoulder blades.

    “My back is fine,” you grumbled, but lowered yourself down to the bed and pillowed your head on your folded arms.

    “No, it’s not. Your entire back is nothing but knots from dealing with the weight of your wings for days,” he reminded you sourly. “Spread your wings,” he told you. You sighed, but did as he bid, cringing again as the sore muscles fought against obeying. His hands started working on your back and you moaned in pleasure and relief as he carefully worked the knots out of your back, used healing power to ease the sore injured muscles.

    He worked on your back for a long, long time. “Come on, love. I have a surprise for you,” Loki whispered in your ear when he was done and your back felt normal again.

    “Loki,” you murmured softly, your voice no more than a half-asleep whisper. His work on your back had you thoroughly relaxed. He chuckled and managed to haul you to your feet. It was more difficult for him to pick you up and put you where he wanted you when your wings were out, especially spread at they were.

    “Tuck in your wings, little bird,” he told you softly. You obeyed and folded them against your back.

    “What are you up to this time, Trickster?” you asked as he started to lead you to the door. “Hey, you vanished my shirt!” you protested, reminding him of that fact, digging in your heels.

    “We’re just going across the hall and no one is up here,” he told you, but your shirt shimmered back into place. He was possessive and jealous. He wouldn’t let the others see you with no shirt.

    “I thought your plan was to get me naked in your bed,” you teased, but walked with him across the hall, curious what he was up to more than anything. You barely spent time in ‘your’ room anymore, Loki’s room had become a shared space.

    “I’ll settle for getting you naked in your bed,” he teased back. You opened your bedroom door and stared. Instead of the normal human bed that had been in here, Loki had replaced it (presumably by magic) with one of the big, round, nest-like beds that the non-married Valkyrie preferred.

    “You always hated my bed,” you reminded him. The bed sank in the middle, which was perfect for the Valkyrie, since they could lie in the middle and have their wings supported. Loki hated it because he felt trapped when he sank in the bed.

    “I do,” he agreed, smiling at your surprised reaction. He was pleased with himself. “But I love you, and I know it’s uncomfortable for you to sleep _every_ night without your wings supported properly, or tucked against your back.” He kissed you lightly. “Why don’t you go try it out?”

    You caught the tone in his voice that he wasn’t joining you. “You’re not coming?” you asked.

    He scoffed. “I don’t much feel like drowning in your marshmallow bed,” he told you. You hesitated, wanting a proper nap, but...

    “I can always test it out later,” you’d rather spend the afternoon with him.

    He smirked and kissed your forehead. “Go enjoy your nap, angel,” he bid you warmly. You kissed him again and he left, insisting he had work to do. You climbed in your nest-like bed, laid on your stomach, spread your wings, and sighed, relieved when you could take all of the strain off of your back since they were supported by the bed.

    “Thank you, Loki,” you whispered, though he wasn’t in the room.

    “You’re welcome, dearest,” you heard the whispered reply in your ear and smiled. Of course he wanted to make sure you were happy with the gift he’d given you.

    *

    “Y/N, run through those warmup drills of yours with Loki,” Cap told you one morning. He had called you and Loki down to the training room.

    “Any particular reason why?” you asked as you stretched. You’d been planning on running through them anyway, but you wanted to know why Cap specifically made that request.

    “I want to see if your wings affect your fighting ability. This seemed like the easiest way,”

    “They don’t, but I can prove it to you,” you told him and stepped out to the middle of the floor. Loki followed you a moment later.

    “Are you sure they won’t affect-?” he started. You rolled your eyes.

    “Lohk, trust me,” you replied and began the first move of the drills. Loki followed. He was taking it too easy, not trusting your word. You growled at him before you involved weapons and nearly punched him in the face since he was taking it too easy, too careful, too slowly. You jumped backwards, fluttering your wings automatically to carry you an extra pace back. “Loki! I told you to trust me. You aren’t going to hurt me. The wings won’t slow me down, I promise. Stop treating me like a piece of china. I’m a Valkyrie of Asgard,” you reminded him firmly.

    “I’m sorry, darling. I just... don’t wish for you to be injured,” he told you softly.

    “I won’t be, but you know that it’s more dangerous not to trust in your partner in the drills,” you reminded him, glaring at him. This was important for him to remember and remember _now_. “I would tell you if my wings would affect my ability to fight. They won’t. Now will you run through the drills properly, or do I have to spar Thor to prove myself to Cap?”

    Loki sighed heavily. “If you are injured I shall be quite cross with you,”

    “If you get injured because you forget that Valkyries aren’t like the fluff-headed fragile China-dolls that make up most of the court, I shall be quite cross with you,” you countered. He had called the court ladies that on numerous occasions while whining about how much they bored him. He smirked and gave you a small bow.

    “It seems we have come to an agreement, Lady Valkryie,”

    “That we have, your highness,” you replied and stepped back to the starting spot. He took his place in front of you and the dangerous dance began. You sped your way through the drills with the same speed as usual. Everyone thought your wings would be a hindrance, but you used them as additional balance. You could actually be faster with them than slower, though not until you were completely used to them again. You kissed Loki at the end of the drills and Cap agreed that you could fight just fine with wings.

    Jarvis posted the video of that set of drills as well. The internet decided that your new epithet was ‘Angel of Death’. You weren’t entirely convinced it was a complimentary epithet, accurate though it was.

    *

    Stark insisted on having a party across town, some kind of charity event that was being hyped up because the team would be there. He also insisted quite firmly that you and Loki had to attend this event. Neither of you wanted to be social among the mortals, but the team didn’t give you much of a choice.

    You were even more nervous at appearing in a public event like this at all, but much less with your wings out. You _could_ put them away again, but you usually wore them during battles on missions. The press loved it and the media expected to see them.

    Loki helped you out of the limo that Stark had gotten the team for the evening. You kept your wings tucked against your back and you had to admit they looked fantastic with your blue floor-length gown. The dress was backless for your wings, but also had sleeves down to your fingertips and somehow still looked elegant and gorgeous.

    You were laughing and chatting with the team, your hand lightly on Loki’s arm as you walked from the valet into the event. Loki would be extra overprotective tonight. He hated these kind of crowded events, and would be on alert for anyone stupid enough to try to touch you. Even though you were barely showing any skin tonight. Plus the whole world knew you were engaged to Loki. So you laughed and joked with him, and tried to get him to relax.

    You stopped laughing and stiffened when you saw the pair of ravens watching your group.


	21. Chapter 21

    “Ignore them, love,” Loki bid you softly so the crowd around you couldn’t hear. “They can’t do anything on Midgard but spy. They won’t bother us,” he reminded you.

    “That didn’t stop them last time we saw them,” you hissed, wanting to draw daggers and stab the stupid birds for spying. They couldn’t be up to anything good. “I’m sure your Father isn’t pleased that you and your Brother are spending time with an exiled Valkyrie, especially one _he_ exiled,”

    Loki kissed your cheek. “He exiled you for a stupid reason and we all know it now. Odin may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. He’ll know that we know the truth now, and will know that we won’t let anything happen to you without a fight. It’s been 900 years, we are all more capable of fighting him now,” he added that last part with a soft growl.

    One of the ravens swooped closer while Thor came up on your other side. “I know you two aren’t bothered by the cold, but we should get inside,” he told you both, sparing a glance at the ravens. He didn’t trust their intentions, especially the one who kept hopping closer. It tilted it’s head and hopped even closer.

    You cursed softly when you realized what it was after. “How much do you not want Odin to know we’re engaged?” your lips were next to Loki’s ear and you breathed the words so quietly that the ravens couldn’t possible hear.

    “Let them tell him,” he growled softly. “I am _not_ hiding my intentions from the Allfather. He can dislike them all he likes. We should have been married centuries ago and would have been had it not been for his meddling...”

    “Are you sure?” you asked. Both ravens were closer now. You weren’t convinced this was the best idea, but Loki knew Odin better than you did anymore.

    He nodded. “Let him know that you are very much under my protection,” you rolled your eyes at your overprotective Loki, but nodded. He had a point. There was an extra level of safety and leverage if Odin knew about the extent of your rebuilt bond with Loki.

    You kissed Loki’s cheek and dropped his arm. “Wait here. Let me talk to them,” you didn’t want them doing anything stupid to your Loki. You stepped toward the ravens and knelt down to be more on their level.

    “Hugin, Munin,” you greeted them politely in Asgaridan, they didn’t do as well with other languages, though they could repeat anything they heard. You flipped your wrist over and pushed your sleeve up to show them your tattoo and sigil. You also noted that there was a shimmer in the air around yourself and the ravens. Loki was cloaking you from the prying eyes of the other guests and cameras. That was good, you really didn’t need the press reporting on you talking to birds. “Yes, I am Y/N of the Valkyries, sworn to Prince Loki. This is what you wanted to see for your report,” you flipped your hand over again to show them your ring. “The prince has proposed marriage and I have accepted his proposal,” you told them simply. They cawed at you, looked more closely at the ring, and flew off again. You sighed, relieved that was over without bloodshed. Loki was next to you offering his hand. You took it and stood again. You pushed your sleeve back down before you took his arm and escaped with him into the party.

    It wasn’t much of an escape. There were too many mortals, all of whom were interested in the team, and only a few of whom were polite about their curiosity. At least the food was good. Stark knew that he had to keep the three Asgardians happily fed if he wanted you to put up with his parties, though Thor was more amenable than you and Loki combined.

    If you had your way, you’d be curled up on the couch at the tower with Loki, a couple of thick novels, and cups of hot tea.

    Nat came up on your other side and linked her arm with yours. “C’mon, Kyrie. You have to play with the mortals,” she told you firmly and dragged you away from Loki. Thor clapped an arm around his shoulders to make him talk to men or some other such nonsense. Which just made your evening worse. Your wings fluttered with nerves. Loki was so good at keeping people from touching you when you were in public and was on alert for it. “Kyrie, trust in the team. We know what’s at stake,” Nat told you when she saw your wings fluttering. She introduced you to mortals around the room, people important to the team. You had summoned thin gloves, since mortals insisted on shaking hands. None of them were of interest until: “This is Doctor Stephen Strange, world famous surgeon,”

    “You’re a magician,” you blurted out when you saw him and felt his power. He was doing a decent job keeping it contained, but this close to him, you couldn’t help feeling it.

    He just stared at you. “And you’re a sorceress,” he finally replied.

    You nodded. “I haven’t hidden my abilities since I joined the team,” you reminded him. Everyone knew you had Asgardian magic. Most people didn’t know or appreciate the extent of your abilities, but they knew you had magic.

    He sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised you recognized my power, should I?” he finally asked. You laughed and shook your head. He held out a hand gloved in one of those fancy white formalwear gloves men sometimes wore, even in this day and age. “Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the Mystic Arts,”

    You shook his gloved hand with a gloved hand of your own. “Y/N, Valkyrie of Asgard, Master Magician, personal Valkyrie of Prince Loki of Asgard, and his betrothed,” you rattled off in reply. He gave you a smirk. You shrugged in reply with a smirk of your own. “I have more titles, if you’d like them, but I have a feeling we’d spend the rest of the evening in a competition to see who has the most,”

    “You should come visit the sanctum sometime. I’m sure there is quite a lot of knowledge we could share.” A slip of paper with an address appeared in your hand. You vanished it a second later. “Yes, your fiance can come too,” he finally, grudgingly added.

    “Don’t worry, he’s not mind controlled anymore,” you told him teasing.

    “That doesn’t mean he isn’t trouble,” Strange grumbled in reply. You grinned. Loki could be trouble when he felt like it. You felt an arm around your shoulders and stiffened for a moment until you recognized Loki’s cool touch.

    “Is this magician bothering you, dearest?” he asked you pleasantly, looking coldly at Strange.

    “Play nice, Lohk. This is Doctor Stephen Strange. He just graciously invited us to exchange magical knowledge with him at his sanctum,” you explained, your tone light. You knew that Loki could hear the truth in your words.

    “Very well,” he replied and inclined his head and said a polite greeting to Strange. He turned his attention back to you. “Darling, Stark is getting ready to start a traditional Midgardian dance called a ‘waltz’. He wished for us to participate in it,” Loki told you his real reason for coming over to the two of you.

    You nodded and turned back to Strange. “It was nice to meet you, but duty calls,” you waved and walked with Loki back towards the dance floor.

    “What is this dance?” Loki asked as you walked.

    “It’s the same as the Weller dance back home,” you told him. You saw the relief in his eyes that he knew the dance and he nodded and smiled. Loki loved to dance. He always had. You vanished your gloves and placed one hand in Loki’s and he led you formally onto the dance floor. He turned you to face him a warm smile on his face as he took your right hand in his left. Your left hand settled on his shoulder, his left arm wrapped around you, his hand settling at the middle of your back, just below your shoulder blades and wings, holding you close to him.

    “Are you alright to do this with wings?” he asked you softly.

    You smirked. “Stark is doing this because we look damn good on film, especially with my wings. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” you told him. He chuckled and the music began. After a few beat to ascertain the timing, you and Loki moved as one, glidinging your way gracefully around the dance floor. You looked into Loki’s eyes as your twirled, smiling and how very familiar this was. You knew him so well, knew each movement and nuance of his body as he danced. You had danced with him so many times over the years, including when you were barely older than children, learning the court dances.

     _If you want to bed a woman, do it in the bedroom. If you want to seduce her, do it in the dance._ The old words of the dancing instructor came to your mind unbidden. You hadn’t understood him then, but now...

    You barely noticed that many of the other dancers were stopping to watch you. Your attention was on Loki, on the dance, on your graceful gliding, his strong arm around you, the music and rhythm of the song.

    The dance ended and Loki bowed over your hand to kiss your knuckles while you dipped into a curtsy. “Thank you for the wonderful dance, Lady Valkyrie,” he told you formally.

    “And you, my prince,” you replied, formally, but warmly.

    Stark gave you a thumbs up from where he was on the sidelines with Pepper. You nodded and took Loki’s arm to escape off the dance floor. Your duty on that front was done. “There is a courtyard where we can escape the crowd for awhile,” Loki told you softly and gestured to the open doorway. You nodded and let him lead you, glad to escape from the too-crowded party.

    You both sighed in relief at the cool air, breathing in the fall scents and gratefully getting away from the heat and the press of the mortals. You wandered the courtyard, your hand in Loki’s until you found a bench to sit on in the flower garden. Loki summoned you each a glass of wine from the party inside and you sat in the chill night air with him, happily escaped from the crowd.

    Until the ravens returned.

    One of them dropped a letter into your lap. You and Loki both looked at it confused. “What in Vahalla?” you asked softly. Loki shrugged and moved closer to you on the bench so he could read over your shoulder. You broke the seal on the letter and unfolded it. The words inside were written in a harsh masculine script:

     _Exiled Valkryie, you are to break off your relationship with Loki and terminate all contact with both of the princes at once, forevermore. This is an order from your king and I_ will _be obeyed._

    An order

    Even on paper an order was an order

    An order from the king had to be obeyed

    Had to

    The magic of your oaths demanded it


	22. Chapter 22

    You stared horrified at the words on the page, not quite comprehending how Odin could be so much of an ass. Loki’s secret wasn’t even in danger anymore, it was already exposed. Your brain whirled, trying to find a way around the orders. Not all orders were binding. Normal everyday conversations, comments that could be taken as orders, things like that could be ignored. It was direct orders, stated as an order that were binding. And a direct order from the king? There was no getting around that, no matter how much it would kill you to obey, no matter how much it would devastate his son.

    “Thank the Norns I was here and saw that letter,” Loki said softly as his arms wrapped around you, holding you against his chest with your arms pinned to your sides before you could protest or be forced to obey the orders. “Odin would have had you break my heart so I believed the lie and run so we’d never see each other again,” he said sadly, horrified and heartbroken that Odin would stoop to being that mean for no good reason. He worked a few quick pieces of magic, a shield around your little piece of the courtyard, a shield around the letter before it could self-destruct, and an illusion to go do....something.

    “Loki, I have to. I cant-” you protested, struggling against him even as you fought the compulsions to do as you were told. You both knew that you couldn’t fight the compulsions long. He also knew that if he kept a grip on you that you couldn’t teleport away without him.

    “No,” he told you firmly. “Listen to me, Kyrie. Y/N, listen. I’m not going to let Odin get away with this. But you’re going to have to help me,” he told you, trying to make you understand before you could panic too much about disobeying orders about not obeying instantly like you were ordered.

    “I have to. I have to!” you wailed, panicked already, though you tried to fight. It hurt. You couldn’t help panicking. There were orders that needed obeying and he wasn’t letting you. Your wrist burned, the tattoo and sigil burning in reminder that you were shirking your duty, and your body shuddered, torn between the orders you weren’t obeying and hurting your charge. You couldn’t hurt your charge. But you had to obey the king whether you wanted to or not. “Loki,” you whimpered, shuddering and sobbing from physical pain, grief, heartache.

    “I’m sorry, darling. I’m sorry to do this to you, but I am _not_ letting Odin do this to us, not again,” Loki told you firmly. You looked up at him with tears spilling from your eyes. “Lady Valkyrie. You are sword to my service. Obey me now. You will _not_ be obeying Odin’s orders.” That wasn’t enough even for him to override the king. It would take a lot more than that. Orders from even the queen, Loki could just override, but not orders from Odin, not like this. “If either of us wanted this courtship to end, I would let you go in a heartbeat, but neither of us want that. Correct?” he asked gently. You nodded. It wasn’t enough to calm your panic, to stop the effects on your body and mind from not following Odin’s orders. “Put away your wings, darling,” he told you. He had to act quickly. You couldn’t fight against Odin’s orders for long. Normally you could have ignored a casual order like the one Loki’d given, but you were already a mess from not obeying Odin that you did so automatically, just do to _something_ of your duties. Your wings faded away. Loki’s grip on you tightened and he hauled you onto his lap to hold you more securely against him.

    “It hurts,” you wept, sobbing into his shoulder. Your body shook from the effort at fighting the orders, fought against hurting Loki so you could obey. You couldn’t hurt your Loki.

    “I know, love. I know,” he whispered, not daring to loosen his grip around you in case your fragile control broke. You were stronger than he was and you both knew it, but he would keep you with him as long as he could. “Forgive me, my love, but I _will_ keep you safe and with us,” he added softly, heartbreak in his voice. “You can hate me for this, as long as you’re safe.” You looked up at him, confused. He was in danger. He was hurting. Your charge was hurting, but Odin demanded you obey. It was tearing you apart. Loki would do everything in his power to save you both from Odin’s orders. You both would. There wasn’t much you could do, but you were trying. “I’m sorry love. It’s only until we can break those orders properly, I give you my word,” he insisted. He waved his hand and you felt cold metal around your neck in the same instant your powers were gone. You felt the metal shimmer, changing shape to look like a necklace instead of the restraining collar it was. Even through all of this, Loki was trying to spare your dignity, pride, spare you from embarrassment. Still, it bound your powers.

    “Loki,” you whimpered softly. You couldn’t believe he had bound your powers, though it made perfect sense. He couldn’t compete with your physically and had no hope fighting against both your magic and physical strength. He had a chance if he could use magic against you if you lost control.

    “I know, darling. I never wanted to do this. Ever. Thor brought that with him in case I went evil and crazy. I stole it from him ages ago and meant to destroy it. You’re not disobeying Odin’s orders if you’re being kept from obeying,” he reminded you softly. He knew the law and rules better than anyone.

    “I’m stronger than you,” you reminded him softly. You couldn’t fight the orders forever. Eventually you would lose and he might get hurt trying to restrain you.

    “I’m well aware of that, darling,” he told you dryly, more calmly since you couldn’t escape through his shielding. You could get off his lap, could say whatever you had to in order to end the relationship, which wouldn’t work, but you couldn’t vanish to where he’d never find you again. “One more thing and I’ll let you go. At least until my idiot brother shows up to help us. He should be arriving any moment. I did tell him it was urgent.” Loki lifted your left hand to his lips and kissed your ring. You felt the magic around it, binding it to your finger. You couldn’t remove it. He wasn’t going to let you end the relationship just because Odin was an ass. His arms were suddenly no longer around you. “Follow the letter of the orders, love. It will buy us time,” he reminded you.

    “I don’t want to hurt you,” you whimpered, even as you scrambled to your feet, to pace, to do _something_ rather than just be helpless to Odin’s orders.

    “Think, love, breathe. You’ve done this before when I went on that mission and Frigga forbade you to go with me,” Loki reminded you gently. You’d gone anyway, following the letter of the order. You hadn’t gone after Loki, hadn’t tracked him. You’d tracked Thor and gone after _him_ instead. It had caused the same panic attacks and pain then, but you’d done it to make sure they were safe on the dangerous mission. You’d also gotten in a shitload of trouble for that stunt. Especially when you were supposed to be in bed with a nasty bout of an awful illness that had been going around. Loki stood from the bench too, but kept his distance. You paced while you thought, while you mulled over the words you needed. You had to get them right.

    “Despite my wishes on the subject, I must make a formal request to end our courtship,” you finally said, though even those words hurt to say. You both knew you didn’t mean it, both knew that you weren’t saying that you wanted the relationship to end.

    “I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request,” Loki replied with a hint of a smirk, just a hint. He was still pissed about this whole situation, but you were safe for a little while with your actions. “Means ‘no’,” he added. “At least not unless _you_ actually wish to break off the engagement,” he amended for your benefit. You nodded, but went back to pacing. You had made an attempt, that bought you a little time, but only a little. “Calm down, love. You did what he said. You’re not in contact with either of the princes, at least not physically which fulfills the letter of the order if not the intent, and you broke off the relationship. It’s most unfortunate that your prince, your charge, did not allow the relationship to end due to your coercion on the matter.” Loki’s silver tongue had always been good with laws and the letter of the law vs the intent behind the law. It had saved you both from a lot of groundings over the years. You’d still been given enough groundings that even he hadn’t be able to talk you out of...

    You breathed, fought to remind yourself that you fulfilled your obligation. “It won’t hold,” you told him, pacing, but slower, more calmly. “It wasn’t enough,”

    “I know, but it bought us time,” he reminded you.

    It was then that Thor strode over to your shielded section of courtyard. Loki walked over to the shield, reached a hand through and dragged Thor in. He wasn’t giving you a chance to escape. Even without your powers. “Took you long enough,” Loki snarled at Thor. It had been less than five minutes.

    “What’s going on here?” Thor demanded, staring at you. You were a mess, barefoot, your dress disheveled, hair a mess, and had obviously been crying. Plus your magic was bound. “What did you do, Loki?” he snarled.

    “ _I_ did nothing. Don’t touch her, it’s the only thing keeping her even this calm,” Loki snapped before Thor could go to you. Loki grabbed the shielded letter and handed it to Thor. “One of the ravens delivered _that_ to her,” he growled. Thor read over the page and blanched before his anger flared.

    “That’s why she’s in this state?” he demanded. Loki nodded. “Why don’t you just override the order?”

    “I _can’t_. Not so quickly anyway. Even _you_ should remember that orders from the king outrank even orders from those to whom they owe personal service. It was all I could do to keep her here and in one piece,” Loki reminded Thor, glaring.

    “You know I had no reason to memorize the Valkyrie laws,” Thor reminded him sourly. Thor hadn’t done nay more studying than was absolutely necessary. “So what do we do?”

    Before Loki could answer, the unmistakable rainbow lights of the Bifrost surrounded the three of you. “What are you doing?” Loki demanded, looking around panicked. His panic focused you on your actual duty. You had sworn oaths to protect your prince. He was scared. He needed protecting now.

    “This is not my doing,” Thor protested. You rushed over to the pair of them as they summoned their armor. Thor’s grip on Mjolnir tightened.

    “Loki!” you called, helpless. You didn’t want to fight in an evening gown. You could, but you _really_ didn’t want to. You pulled the daggers out of the sheaths on your arms, hidden under the long sleeves of your dress, when you made it to Loki. He wasn’t at all surprised that you were armed. You never went out without at least one dagger. Even without your powers you wouldn’t be unable to defend him.

    “Are you up for this, darling?” he asked, concerned. Your emotions were compromised and you all knew it.

    “My love, my charge, needs me. You have not dismissed me from your service. Despite Odin’s orders, my duty to you is clear,” you told him firmly. Your duty to him _could_ overrule your orders from Odin. He looked impressed at your reply, at your level of care for him. He touched your sleeve, careful not to touch you and ruin your control, your ability to fight back Odin’s orders, and your armor shimmered into place.

    The Bifrost activated and the three of you were flying up the rainbow bridge. It was a sensation you hadn’t felt in centuries, but you braced automatically for it anyway. You and the boys had gone on plenty of adventures over the years to various other realms. You knew how to travel by Bifrost.

    The three of you stepped out into the Bifrost chamber and were faced with Heimdall and his huge-ass sword. You automatically stepped in front of the boys, not knowing what danger you were facing, but it couldn’t be good that you were summoned from Midgard, especially not after the shit Odin had just pulled.

    “Your Highnesses, Lady Valkyrie,” Heimdall greeted you all. He wasn’t offended that you were armed and standing defensively in front of your boys. They were both under your protection and you were a Valkyrie of Asgard.

    “Why have you summoned us?” Thor demanded.

    “I was ordered to bring the three of you here,” Heimdall replied with his ever-present calm.

    “By whom?” Thor demanded more firmly. Heimdall was usually clearer.

    “By me,” a woman’s voice replied. You all whirled to the sound. In the doorway to the Bifrost chamber was Frigga, queen of Asgard, Thor’s mother, and Loki’s adopted mother.

    “Mother?” the boys asked at the same time. You shifted to keep your defensive position in front of your charges.

    “Peace, Lady Valkyrie,” she told you. “Your charge will come to no harm here and neither will you. Put up your blades,”

    “Mother, no!” Loki called, knowing that his supposed danger was the only thing breaking through your orders from Odin. She gave him the look she had perfected over the years to quiet his protests. You resheathed your blades. She was right. Loki was in no danger from Frigga. His mother adored him, always had and always would. Loki’s arms were around you an instant later, Odin’s orders be damned. He wasn’t going to let you suffer alone.

    “Heimdall told me your father has done something to interfere with you on Midgard. Tell me,” Frigga ordered. Loki kept his arms around you while Thor stepped forward to hand Frigga the letter and explain what had transpired.

    “Loki, I can’t. Odin’s orders-” you whimpered, shaking against the need to obey, trying not to start sobbing again in front of the queen.

    “I know, dearest. I’m here. We won’t let Odin’s orders stand,” he promised you and held you more firmly, giving Frigga a pleading look.

    You saw Frigga’s face harden, an expression of anger you had _never_ seen before on her face. Not even when the three of you had destroyed a wing of the palace. Not when she feared for your lives during the bilgesnipe incident. Not during any of your thousands of transgressions over the years.

    No.

    Not quite.

    There was exactly one time before that you had seen the Queen this angry, had felt her calm gentle power flare to true power, true anger. There was only one person who had ever drawn so much rage from the Queen: Lady Hilde, the woman who had poisoned Loki with the love potion.

    “Come, children,” she told you all and turned on her heel to storm from the Bifrost chamber. She didn’t even look to see if the three of you were following. Loki and Thor each kept and arm around you and you followed the queen back to the palace. The trip was shorter than usual. All of the palace staff were jumping out of Frigga’s way. They couldn’t remember ever seeing the queen this angry. It was also rare to see a Valkyrie in as bad of shape as you were at the moment. You heard the gasps as the sight of you with your boys broke Frigga’s magic on the people. It had been a simpler spell than the ones she used on Loki and Thor. Just the sight of you was enough to break it.

    Frigga threw open the big double-doors of the throne room and stomped right up to the throne, her power and anger rolling off of her in waves. You, Thor, and Loki were all smart enough to follow her without question or arguing. The three of you stopped before the throne. Thor let you go so Loki could wrap his arms back around you, to be your strength right now when you needed it.

    Odin glared at you, supported by Loki. “You have disobeyed me, Valkyrie,” he snarled at you, making the terrible mistake of ignoring his wife. “You were exiled and yet you cavort with the princes. An exiled Valkyrie is no fit bride for my son. I ordered you away from him and yet here you are. You are unworthy of your position and I-”

    He howled at Frigga when she slapped him hard across the face. “Amazing how you claim Loki as your son only when it is beneficial to you,” she snarled at him while he glared at her. “He has _always_ been mine and your actions in regard to his Valkyrie have hurt him twice now. Rescind your order and rescind the girl’s exile this instant,” she demanded. “Neither of them are founded.” You, Thor, and Loki just stared. None of you could recall seeing Frigga this angry, nor this confrontational with Odin. None of you had seen her in this...mama-bear enraged.

    “No. I shall speak to the children alone. The exiled girl will return to Midgard and I will find some other suitable punishment for Loki,”

    “You. Will. Do. NO. Such. Thing.” Frigga spat at him. She yanked Gungnir from him and threw the staff to the floor. “You will do what is best for your son for once. Your secrets be damned.” Odin started to protest again, but even he wouldn’t raise a hand to his wife. “Rescind your order. Now. Or shall we tell the Valkyrie that _this_ is how you treat one of their number, one who did so well in her training and the trials that she was granted the honor of service to one of the princes?”

    Odin glared, protested. “She was exiled for a reason!” he shouted.

    “She was exiled to protect the secret that Loki was adopted. That secret is out and her exile should have ended on that very day. I allowed it then to protect my son. I allowed it after the secret was revealed because I _saw_ that they would meet again and my son would finally be happy. You will _not_ ruin that now. Undo her exile, rescind this ridiculous order, and _never_ interfere with their happiness again, or I _will_ go to the Valkyrie about your treatment of one of their own.” Odin couldn’t afford to lose the support of the Valkyrie. He knew it. He hesitated. If you were allowed back home all of the people would remember you. They would all know the injustice Odin had placed upon you and Loki. It would put him in a bad light. But he needed the Valkyrie more than he needed to protect himself from and old bad decision.

    You saw the moment he came to that conclusion. He glared at Frigga again for strong-arming him. “Very well, my Queen. I will grant you this boon,” he finally said with as much dignity as he could muster, especially with the bright red handprint on his cheek. Frigga must have decked him to leave a mark like _that_ on the Allfather. “I rescind my orders upon you, Lady Y/N of the Valkyries,” you sighed in relief as your wrist stopped burning, as the orders withdrew and left you free of the painful conflict. You sagged against Loki, exhausted from fighting the compulsions, but you managed to keep your feet under you, managed to appear that you were still alright. “Welcome back to Asgard. Your exile to Midgard is rescinded and you may properly resume your duties to your prince.” You were supposed to thank him for his kindness. That was what was proper. But he was an ass, and it was about time that your unjust exile had ended.

    He glared at you when you didn’t reply as you should. You glared right back, then turned to Loki. “We can be together, love. We can be _home_ again,” you told him with such longing and fondness in your voice that he gave you a warm smiled in return.

    “Yes, we can my darling,” he replied and kissed your forehead. You saw him look at Odin, daring him to say something.

    “Children, leave us, but do not return to Midgard yet. I wish to spend time with you all before you return, but I need to have words with your father,” even after all this time, you always got lumped in with her children, and lumped in with ‘your father’. You also heard the malice in her words in the direction of Odin. He was so getting the _shit_ beaten out of him for how he treated you and Loki.

    “Yes, Mother,” the boys replied obediently.

    “Yes, Queen Mother,” you replied instead. You hadn’t called her ‘mother’ since you were a child and hadn’t known better. She’d never corrected you either.

    She gave you all a warm, gentle smile, before she turned her attention back to Odin. Loki kept an arm wrapped around you and the three of you fled the throne room before Frigga blew up again. She was going to read Odin the riot act and beat the shit out of him for harming her son. You wished you could watch, but you’d rather get Loki safely out of the line of fire.

    “Hey, Lohk, do you mind?” you asked, gesturing at your throat. He nodded and waved his hand. The necklace was gone an instant later.

    “Thanks.” He kissed your hair in reply. You could tell he was relieved that you were ok.

    The three of you headed back to the family wing where your chambers were. It wasn’t terribly late, and Thor would go wandering off to find his stupid warrior friends, but it was a good direction to start from.

    Thor bid you well and left you when you had reached the section of hall where your suite and Loki’s were. The doors were just across the hall from each other. You gestured to your room. “While I was gone...did...?” you couldn’t get the question out. Was your home still your home? There was no reason to think it was after all of these years.

    “I truly do not know, love. Mother closed your rooms off after you were exiled and refused to allow anyone else to move into them. She wouldn’t say why obviously. Shall we find out together?” he asked gently. He’d stand beside you and be there for you if the rooms had been emptied.

    You nodded and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” It wasn’t a strong enough thanks to just thank him for everything, for saving you from Odin’s orders, to being here for you now, but it was the best you could do at the moment. You summoned the key to your room. You never needed it, as your rooms were never locked, you and Loki were in an out of each others’ suites constantly, but if Frigga had closed them off, you would need it now.

    You inserted the key, turned the lock and opened the door, Loki’s arm reassuring around your shoulders.

    One look at your completely unchanged suite, your prince at your side, and you were _home_

    After all these years.

    You were home.


	23. Chapter 23

    You stepped into the suite, not quite believing that you were here and home. The suite was dusty, musty. It obviously hadn’t been cleaned in awhile, but it was just the way you’d left it all those years ago, including the text you and Loki had been translating still on the desk in your sitting room. You wandered the suite, Loki stood just inside the doorway, watching, but not interfering. This moment was for you.

    “You can’t be in here!” A woman’s voice came from the door to the hall, hot with anger. Loki turned calmly, ready to diffuse the situation, you whirled to that voice you would never forget. Ever. “These rooms are off-limits... Your highness, my apologies,” she backtracked quickly when she recognized Loki. “Your Lady Mother-” she stopped when you stepped back into the sitting room from your bed chamber.

    “Mother,” you greeted her, trying for decorum for about three whole seconds before you ran to her and hugged her as tight as you could. Loki stepped back smoothly to keep from getting trampled. “Mama!” 900 years had passed since you saw her, and the second you did again, you couldn’t help reverting to a five year old and hugging her as tight as you could.

    “Y/N?” she held you just as tightly, her little raven-haired girl who fit in with almost no one in Asgard besides your Loki. “Odin sent you away- how?” You finally took a step back to look at her properly.  She’d aged some in the 900 years since you saw her, but still had the same golden coloring as the most of the Asgardians, the same warmth to her she always had, but also the same hardness of most of the Valkyrie. Especially dressed as she was in the black everyday uniform/armor of the Valkyrie. Her mouth dropped open and she stared uncomprehending.

    “A lot has changed in the last few months. The Allfather rescinded my exile. I’m allowed home,” you told her with tears in your eyes. You hadn’t thought you’d ever see her again either.

    “It sounds like there is much to catch up on,” she told you warmly. You glanced over at Loki. Your duty was still to him, even above family. You caught your mom’s approving look out of the corner of your eye. She also glanced at your wrist, caught that the sigil of Loki’s name was still there, and catch the flash of your engagement ring as well. There was definitely a lot to catch her up on.

    Loki smiled warmly and stepped up to you. He kissed your cheek. “Catch up with your Mother, darling. I am going to enjoy a nice quiet evening reading in my chambers. I will have the maids air out your chambers for you. If they are not finished by the time you return, you are welcome to spend the evening with me.” You’d be welcome either way, but he wasn’t going to say that in front of your mother. Even what he said would have been borderline too forward, except that he lifted your left hand to kiss your engagement ring, making sure to draw your mother’s attention to it. It was rude to announce and make a spectacle of sleeping (however innocently) with your intended, but it _was_ expected, plus no one cared on Asgard. Except that you mother didn’t want to know about it. Mothers were the same no matter the realm.

    “If you’re sure?” you had to make sure he didn’t need you this evening before you could have a clear conscious leaving him.

    “Very sure, Kyrie-love. I will see you later,” he told you warmly and kissed you. It was a chaste kiss in front of your mother, but he kissed you in front of her nonetheless. You broke the kiss and ran your thumb over the back of his hand, smirking at him when you left a small blue glyph there. He looked at it and raised his eyebrow.

    “In case your brother and his warrior friends decide you need to _not_ spend a nice quiet evening with your books and need to go play with them instead. It’s such trouble to track down when they try to hide you away.” You learned that trick years ago. It usually annoyed Loki when you put tracking glyphs on him, but you weren’t taking chances when you’d just found him again so recently. Thor’s warrior friends also really liked trying to hide Loki away somewhere to get him drunk. You liked to be able to find him quickly before things blew up. Literally.

    “Fine,” he said with a sigh, putting up with your eccentricities this time. You’d remove the glyph as soon as you found him again after spending time with your mother. “Ladies,” he bid you both and offered a more polite bow to your mother before he made his way across the hall to his own suite from where he’d presumably send a message to the maids about your chambers.

    Your mother turned to you and hugged you again. “I have not seen him this happy since his Father ordered your exile,” she told you when the hug broke and she linked her arm with yours so you could walk with her to her chambers. They were a couple floors down with most of the rest of the Valkyrie. You’d always been assigned to Loki, even years and years before you’d become his official Valkyrie. Frigga had decided you should live across the hall from him instead of down with the other Valkyrie. You knew she saw a lot more of the future than she let on, though you hoped she hadn’t seen that your exile would last 900 years.

    You spent a long time catching up with your mother, sitting in her sitting room with her. You told her of your life on Midgard and finding the princes again, breaking the memory charms, everything that had happened since. You showed her your engagement ring.

    The hour was late indeed when you had caught up with at least all of the basics. It was so great to see her again. She had begged, pleaded, threatened, and everything else she could think of to get Odin to unbanish you, but it had been to no avail. She hated that you’d lost 900 years of your life alone on Midgard when you should have been here living your life with Loki. You’d lost him longer than you’d had him. You were going to make it up by spending the rest of your very long lives together.

    “I don’t know how long we’ll be home this time,” you told your mother before you left her chambers. She’d offered to walk you back to your suite, but you’d declined. A Valkyrie was perfectly safe in the palace and you could take care of yourself if there _was_ trouble. “We left Midgard suddenly and our teammates will worry if we don’t return soon,”

    “You have your work to do as do all Valkyrie. I’m sure I will see you again soon, Daughter,” she bid you warmly and hugged you again before you left her chambers. You stepped into the hall and focused on the tracking glyph you’d left on Loki’s hand. You sighed heavily when it wasn’t pointing to his chambers where he was supposed to be, but towards Thor’s idiot warrior friends’ sittingroom. At least you’d had a feeling they were going to kidnap your Loki.

    So you trudged over to their sittingroom when all you wanted to do was get some sleep. It had been a long day. You burst into the warriors’ sitting room and they cheered when they saw you. “Kyrie!” they shouted, raising their mugs of ale. Thor, Loki, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three were all sitting around the various couches and huge pile of food that always lived in this room. Loki was smashed, you noticed the second you walked in. You wondered how soon after you left that they kidnapped him and how much they’d spiked his drink with. His cheeks were nearly purple, which only happened when he was fevered or drunk.

    “Hi boys, Sif,” you greeted them as if the last 900 years hadn’t passed. “You seem to have stolen my fiance,” you told them dryly. The boys started to hug you, but then realized that you were a lady now, and got confused. They were also rather drunk. You laughed and hugged them anyway. Just because they were morons, didn’t mean they weren’t family.

    They pressed a mug of ale into your hands and insisted that you sit and talk with them until you’d finished it. You smirked and downed the entire giant mug in one gulp to even more cheers. “Sorry boys, it’s been a long day. I’m sure we’ll be home at least another day. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, I swear,”

    “At least let us see the ring!” they protested. You sighed and held out the ring for inspection.

    “Kyrie~” Loki’s arms wrapped around you and he hauled you into his lap. Shit, Loki was _drunk_.

    “Darling, what did Thor’s idiot friends feed you?” you asked him gently.

    Volstagg held up a flask. “The good stuff,” he replied with a grin. You rolled your eyes. Of course it was the fancy good stuff. Ale didn’t make your Loki this clingy, silly, or lead-tongued.

    “You guys just want to see me haul his drunk ass to bed,” you grumbled at them as you got off of Loki’s lap and hauled him to his feet. He didn’t protest until you had bent, gripping his leg, his arm still held firm and hauled him up onto your shoulders in a fireman’s carry. You could just toss him over your shoulder, but it was easier to distribute his weight across your shoulders now that he was bigger than he’d been the last time Thor’s idiot friends had gotten him drunk enough that you had to haul his drunk ass to bed.

    “Kyrie~ put me down~” he whined, but didn’t struggle for fear of falling. You held him securely anyway. He tended to get squirmy once you started moving.

    The idiot warriors cheered again at the sight of Loki being carried by his Valkyrie. It had always entertained them, as did drunk Loki. You flipped them off for it, good naturedly, but still. They cheered harder and your rolled your eyes. “I’ll see you guys later. Thunderhead, I trust you can find your bed on your own.” He raised his mug of ale in reply. That wasn’t an answer, but he wasn’t strictly your responsibility.

    “You’re strong,” drunk Loki commented as you started from the room. You sighed. Drunk Loki had a lead tongue and tended not to shut the fuck up.

    “Why’d you let them get you this drunk, my darling silly love?” you asked him, teasing.

    “Didn’t know it was Odin’s good stuff until after they’d poured the first mug down my throat,” he whined. You sighed in exasperation. Of course they hadn’t told him. He was reluctant to get this plastered. “I love you~”

    “Yes, yes, I know,” you replied dryly. You should have just teleported up to his room, but it was habit to walk the journey back with your drunk charge, or charges occasionally when Thor was too drunk to function. They deserved the embarrassment for getting that drunk.

    “Put me down now~ I can walk~”

    “Sure you can,” you replied sarcastically. You finally made it back to his suite and opened the door. It was perfect and home and just how you remembered it. You carried him through your shared sitting room, past his private workroom’s door to his bedchamber and dumped him unceremoniously on the bed. He giggled. Actually giggled. “You’re going to be a mess in the morning,” you informed him as you tugged off his boots, and socks. He was too drunk to function on his own. You were going to kill Thor’s idiot friends.

    “I can undress myself,” he protested and you saw a hint of a shimmer of green magic. You smacked his arm, not hard, just enough to get his attention.

    “Stop that. Magic and booze don’t mix,” you reminded him firmly. He pouted and looked like your harsh words were going to make him cry. You kissed him lightly. “C’mon, let’s get you tucked into bed,” you told him gently. You tugged his armor’s top up over his head. He tried to kiss you, which was very hindering to this process. You gave him a kiss when the top was off and tossed unceremoniously on the floor. A couple more kisses and his undershirt followed. The question came about if you were brave enough to find out if he was wearing underwear. You finally decided to brave it, because leather armor pants could not be comfortable to sleep in. You also weren’t sure if you were relieved or disappointed to find that he was in fact wearing underwear.

    You didn’t dwell on that, but instead managed to get him to lie down in the bed and stop trying to kiss you for thirty seconds while you got the blanket up over him. You stole one of the tunics from his dresser to wear. You weren’t using magic in front of him while he was this drunk. He would get ideas and something would blow up. You dressed quickly before he could miss you too much and do something stupid like try to get up, and climbed into bed. You pulled him to you and kissed his forehead when he contentedly laid his head on your chest. He was asleep in moments while you stroked his long hair. “Mine,” he murmured while he was falling asleep.

    “Yes, darling. Now get some rest,” you told him softly.

    Silly drunk trickster.

    You kissed his forehead again, used magic to snuff the lights, and curled more comfortably to get some sleep yourself.


	24. Chapter 24

    The sound of the door to Loki’s suite opening woke you. You disregarded the sound at first. The maids did come in to clean after all. They were usually quieter, but maybe the maid was new... You pressed your lips against Loki’s forehead, he was still curled safely in your arms, his head on your chest, and settled to go back to sleep.

    You had decided to disregard the sound until you heard the person stumble into the end table in Loki’s sitting room. You had positioned that end table just ever so slightly in the way ages and ages ago. It was designed so that someone unfamiliar with the room would stumble into it, giving you warning if there was an intruder. The maids all knew, any maid ever assigned to work for the princes wasn’t new, and would have been warned to watch out for that particular end table. They were used to the eccentricities of the Valkyries and the lengths you went to protect your charges.

    You were on your feet in an instant, wings ripping through the back of the tunic you’d stolen from Loki, and dagger in hand. You saw the intruder the second you entered the sitting room. She was cursing softly and trying to set the end table back on its feet. You recognized her and she looked up at you as the lights came on, activating at your presence. “Loki! You should have told me-” she started, standing again to face you, thinking you were Loki. Of course she did. Most people didn’t remember you yet. She stopped speaking when she saw you, an angry Valkyrie, wearing nothing but Loki’s tunic, but looking ferocious with your jet black wings spread to shield Loki’s bedroom, and therefore the just-stirring Loki, from her view, and a dagger in hand. She dipped a curtsy. “Lady Valkyrie,” she greeted you politely, scared now. Good.

    “What business have you with my charge at this early hour, Lady Delia?” you asked her coldly. It was within your rights to challenge her, especially for entering Loki’s private chambers without permission, and the hour was early. It wasn’t quite dawn yet.

    “With all due respect, Lady Valkyrie, my business here is none of yours,” she replied more bravely than she obviously felt. You could see that she had remembered you, though, but still, she was choosing to face off against you. Idiot. “I am looking for Loki, I have an urgent matter to discuss with him,”

    You glared at her. “Loki is unavailable. I can assure you, Lady Delia, whatever urgent matter you have with my fiance, you may take it up with me instead,” you told her just as coldly. You had a feeling what this was about. She wanted a relationship with your Loki.

    “Fiance? But-” she protested, her charade of bravery dropping. “Before he and Thor went to Jotunheim...”

    You softened your expression then for the poor idiot girl. Loki was right, the court ladies were feathered-headed morons. It had been years since they had dated if what she was saying was true. Granted, that had been true for you as well, but your case was different. “I’m sorry if you thought you could rekindle your relationship,” you told her gently. You heard her thoughts, though you hadn’t tried to. She was projecting her anger at you, her anger that her plot was destroyed. She hadn’t cared for Loki, just wanted power of dating a prince. Stupid court girl. Loki never would have fallen for that for a relationship. You caught the memory of him breaking things off. It was a harsh breakup, and he had flat out told her that he wasn’t interested in power hungry bitches, though he had been kinder than that even in his anger. “Leave now, Lady Delia. You’re not welcome here,” you warned her firmly. Sometimes you were too nice for your own good and gave people a chance to behave properly.

    She glared at you. “You’re a bitch, Kyrie, always have been, keeping proper court ladies from wooing the princes. Thinking you’re above the rest of us... The Valkyrie are nothing more than slaves to the throne,” she snarled. You rolled your eyes, vanished your dagger and strode over to her. She cringed back from you.

    “Insult me all you like, Delia,” you told her as you grabbed her arm and hauled her from the room. “You’ve always been power hungry and scheming. It won’t work this time,” you told her firmly while she spluttered and protested and told you quite firmly to ‘get the fuck off of her’. You dragged her over to the nearest guard outside of Loki’s suite. “Before you get any ideas to try messing with Thor either,” you growled at her softly.

    You turned your attention to the guard, who bowed to you. It didn’t matter that you were barefoot and wearing nothing but a stolen tunic with holes in the back from where your wings had burst through. You were still a Valkyrie of Asgard and your attire did not determine the honor your station drew. In fact, most times an angry Valkyrie in pajamas was more terrifying, since since was likely in personal service and her charge had been actively attacked.

    “Sir, it has come to Lady Delia’s attention that court life does not suit her. Will you see that she is removed from the palace and court at once?” Delia protested the treatment, cried that you were being unfair, that she was just trying- You glared at her and she stopped her complaining. “Either remove yourself from court life and never return, or I shall have you sent to the dungeons for your crimes against the prince of Asgard.” You were within your powers to do that. She had snuck into his rooms with ill intentions, no matter what she claimed, she was planning on using him. You were being nice by just exiling her from the palace and court. It was apt punishment for her. She’d have no power outside of the court.

    “It will be done, Lady Valkyrie,” the guard told you with a formal bow, right hand over his heart. He took Lady Delia’s arm.

    “Thank you,” you told the guard and swept back to Loki’s suite.

    He was still in his bed, moaning softly and curled into a very miserable ball, trying to hide from the light. Poor hungover thing. You smiled and went to him, climbing back on the bed. “Morning, darling,” you told him gently. He whimpered and looked flushed and pathetic. “What have we learned about playing with Thor’s idiot friends?” you asked as you placed your glowing green fingertips against his temples. You’d had to learn this spell a long time ago. Thor’s idiot friends like to get themselves and everyone around them viciously drunk, which led to equally vicious hangovers.

    “Not to,” he grumbled. You laughed and leaned down to kiss his forehead, letting your lips momentarily turn Jotun blue to send ice through him and cool the flush from too much of Volstagg’s good alcohol.

    “Correct, love,” you told him gently. You finished your spell and he finally sat up, though was still a little shaky looking. You handed him a glass of water. He smiled at you gratefully. “I also owe you a new tunic,” you told him, gesturing to your wings and the holes in the back of his tunic.

    “Don’t worry about it, I have plenty,” he replied dryly. “Would you care to tell me what that was all about?” he asked. He hadn’t been in a state to really understand what the interruption had been this morning.

    “Lady Delia thought her advances would be welcome,” you explained dryly, rolling your eyes.

    He flushed. “Ah.Yes, well she was mistaken. I-” he started, flushing even more deeply. He didn’t want to admit he’d had other relationships.

    You huffed. “Lohk, I’m not stupid enough to think you hadn’t had any relationships while I was exiled. I _am_ surprised you entertained the thought of having one with that power hungry bitch,” you added with a smirk.

    He rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t exactly an... intellectual relationship,” he admitted. You laughed. He had used her just as much as she was trying to use him. Probably just a pretty face for balls. “And short lived at that. Having an escort for court functions was not worth spending time with that power hungry...” he stopped and sighed.

    “Well, she won’t be troubling you again,” you told him with a grin.

    He raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?” he asked suspiciously.

    You laughed. “Just had her exiled from court. Don’t worry, I didn’t splash the walls in her blood,” you added.

    He shrugged. “That would have been within your rights, but the blood is so very tedious to get off of the walls and the maids get so upset seeing it,” he lamented, making you laugh again. You kissed him gently.

    “I’m going to get a bath before breakfast. Feeling better?” you asked. He still looked a little flush. You reached up a hand to touch his cheek.

    He took your hand and kissed it. “I’m fine, darling, better than I deserve after playing with Thor’s idiot friends last night. Thank you, as always, for everything.” He was thanking you for saving him from the unwanted advances of Lady Delia, from Thor’s idiot friends, and for your hangover cure. He kissed you lightly. “I’ll brush out your wings for you after your bath,” he told you warmly.

    “Thank you.” You flushed a little, knowing that he wanted to do something nice for you after you’d helped him so much this morning, and dragged his drunk ass to bed last night. It always seemed strange when he took care of you, but it warmed your heart when he did. Your maids could, and did brush out your wings as part of their duties, but Loki preferred to do the task himself. He insisted that it needed to be done correctly. He just wanted to take care of you. You kissed him again and stood from the bed. You strode through his sittingroom, straightened the end table back to its position just in the way, and opened the door to slip across the hall to your own rooms.

    The rooms had been aired out and cleaned. Fresh flowers had been placed in the vases around your suite and the rooms smells like them, just as they should. You couldn’t help smiling. It was home again. You found the maids had drawn you a bath. You weren’t surprised that they had known. The maids were always fantastic and somehow knew exactly what was needed. You soaked for a long time, relaxing at the feeling of home.

    “Kyrie-love?” Loki’s voice as he stepped into your suite. He knew better than to come in without announcing himself, though you knew him so well that his presence wouldn’t startle you.

    “Just a minute!” you called and rose from the bath. You dried off quickly, used magic to dry your hair and dress in a simple blue backless tunic and leggings. You flapped your wings a couple of times to get the water off of them.

    Loki was waiting for you in your sitting room, looking over the text you had been translating the day you were exiled. “I wondered where this text went,” he grumbled when you stepped up behind him and kissed his cheek, wrapping your arms around his waist. “I searched the palace everywhere for it,”

    “You’re adorable as ever absorbed in your ancient texts, love, but we do have breakfast to get to. Your mother will want to see you,” you reminded him. He set the text aside.

    “You’re right as usual,” he replied warmly as he stood. He steered you toward the ottoman in your sitting room. “And distracting as ever from allowing me to take care of you,” he teased. You stuck your tongue out at him, but let him push you down onto the ottoman. He sat on the couch behind you. You spread your wings and melted in pleasure as he began to carefully and gently brush them out for you.

    “You could let the maids do this,” you reminded him softly while he worked. He was a prince and above such menial tasks.

    “I enjoy it, darling,” he replied warmly, just as he always had. “And those lovely moans of pleasure are adding to my delight. I shall have to come up with other ways to get you to make them too,” he chuckled, amused. You flushed and looked over your shoulder at him, your wings fluttering unconsciously in embarrassment.

    “Sorry...” you murmured, embarrassed. He laughed and kissed you lightly.

    “Cool that charming blush, little Valkyrie. I enjoy seeing you happy,” he reminded you warmly and offered you a hand to help you to your feet. “Shall we? You are correct that Mother wishes to see us for breakfast. I’m sure Odin and my idiot brother will be there as well,” he added with an eyeroll. You took his hand with a laugh and stood, folding your wings against your back as you did. He enjoyed seeing the wings, so you didn’t vanish them right away, besides, the Valkyrie wearing their wings was a common sight here. You summoned your dragonfang blade in its sheath and strapped it to your side. “Kyrie-” Loki started, but knew that you wouldn’t go around the palace with him unarmed, even if you weren’t in uniform. The uniform of your armor wasn’t necessary except at truly official functions. Breakfast wasn’t an official function.

    You gestured Loki from the room and followed him, automatically assuming your place beside him on his left, a single step behind. He smirked at the automatic return to normalcy and offered you his arm. You smiled and took it carefully. You could maintain your proper position and he could claim you in front of the entire court. You had walked exactly like this together through the halls of the palace for fifty years before you’d been banished.

    People looked at you as you walked to breakfast down in the great hall. You and Loki were chatting about light topics as you walked, but you caught the glances, stares, and whispers of people who were suddenly remembering you. You tried to ignore them, but your grip tightened on Loki’s arm as the people questioned why you had been banished and why Odin would dare let you return now. Loki gave you a smile, trying to reassure you. “Fear not, dearest, the story will blow over. Mother will inform the court of the true story,”

    “Your Mother is quite formidable,” you agreed. You finally made it to the great hall and took your seats at the head table after making your greetings to Odin, Frigga, and Thor. Odin was looking worse for the wear. You couldn’t _see_ any physical damage, but Frigga had been awfully upset with him yesterday and you were quite sure that she had beaten some sense into him. Or ripped him a new asshole for making her son sad. He was looking like sitting was uncomfortable.

    Frigga stood after glaring at her inept husband. He should have been making this announcement to the court. “Yes, the princes have returned for a short visit,” she announced to the members of court who had joined you all for the early breakfast. “With them has returned Y/N of the Valkyries. She was sent to Midgard a great many years ago and has returned to her position as personal Valkyrie to Prince Loki with full honors and commendations.” Frigga’s words were careful, sticking to facts that wouldn’t look bad for anyone involved. She made it sound like you had been gone on a mission for the crown. You didn’t fault her for it, she had to protect the crown’s reputation. “I would also like to take this opportunity to formally announce the engagement of Prince Loki and his Valkyrie Lady Y/N,” she announced and grinned brightly at you and Loki. You stood to the cheers of the crowd, nodding to accept their applause. Loki wrapped an arm around your shoulders and turned you to kiss you, claiming you in front of the entire court as his. Even though not all of the court had breakfast in the great hall, word of Loki’s engagement would spread like wildfire. You bet it would be less than an hour before the entire palace knew you were engaged.

    “So, darlings, how long are you staying?” Frigga asked you, Loki, and Thor when the cheers had died down and you were seated again. Odin had stormed off claiming he had work to do.

    “We cannot stay long, Mother,” Thor reminded her. “We did arrive here unexpectedly...” he reminded her with a smile. That was her fault, she had summoned you by the Bifrost without warning. “Our teammates will be wondering where we are and worrying over us,”

    “But you’re doing alright on Midgard?” she was concerned. “I hate that you’re all so far from home...”

    “We’re fine, Mother. We will come home for a proper visit soon,” Loki reassured her. “Besides, had I not gone to Midgard with Thor, I would still be unjustly imprisoned in the dungeons and would never have found Kyrie again,” he added and kissed your cheek.

    “You were grounded?” you asked with a teasing smile. You’d been grounded to the dungeons on numerous occasions over the years. Enough that Frigga and Odin had specifically set aside cells for you and Loki, though sometimes you just got chucked in his cell with him to make sure you were out of trouble in the same place. You’d had a problem with tricks and mischief...

    “For New York. Odin thought it proper punishment,” he rolled his eyes.

    “Ah, yes, punishment for mind control, how proper,” you replied with as much sarcasm in your tone as you could. Loki laughed and relaxed. He hated having New York brought up.

    “Oh, darling, would you mind?” he changed the subject and lifted his left hand, displaying the tracking glyph you had left on his skin yesterday. You had neglected to remove it when you found him, since he had been in an awful state and you’d had to get him to bed. You’d forgotten to remove it since. The morning had started with excitement after all.

    “Sorry,” you replied with a smile and brushed your thumb over the glyph, removing it from his skin with magic. Frigga was smirking at the display. Loki probably could have removed it himself, but he left it to you to do, since you’d placed it in the first place, and had placed it for his safety. He still hated having it on him, though. He always had, no matter how pragmatic it was when Thor’s idiot friends were around.

    “Surely you can stay for the day at least? Midgard can surely survive without you that long,” Frigga asked. “I have missed you my children.” She looked over the three of you and it warmed your heart that you were, as always, included among her children.


	25. Chapter 25

    Loki shot Thor a hopeful look. You tried to keep the same hopeful look off of your own face. You were so happy to be home, though, that you were sure you were failing. Thor glanced between the two of you and his blatantly hopeful mother. He couldn’t resist three pair of puppy-dog eyes. “We can stay for _one day_ ,” he emphasized that last part. “Our friends will already be missing us,” he reminded you. “We did not tell them we were leaving.” You weren’t entirely convinced they would care that you and Loki weren’t there.

    “Fine,” you and Loki both sighed while Frigga lit up in delight.

    “Kyrie, darling. Your mother wished to see you in the practice courts this morning if you were staying for the day,” Frigga told you, touching your arm to make sure she had your attention. You flinched and jerked back away from her automatically, panicked and terrified until you remembered where you were. Frigga looked so hurt and you felt terrible for it.

    You flushed, embarrassed, wings fluttering in distress. Damn things always gave away your emotions. “Apologies, Queen Mother. My time on Midgard has made me a little jumpy...” That was true, but not really an explanation. She nodded, though gentle and kind as usual. You could see the concern she was trying to hide. “If you’ll excuse me, I should see what my Lady Mother requires of me.” Frigga nodded and you stood, trying to ignore the sorrowed expression in her eyes. You offered her a bow, nodded at Thor, and kissed Loki. “Try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone. Call me if you need me,”

    He rolled his eyes. “Kyrie, love, even _I_ cannot get into mischief while I am spending the morning with my Lady Mother,” he reminded you.

    You grinned at him. “Which is the _only_ reason I’m not putting another tracking glyph on you, your highness,” you teased. He huffed and rolled his eyes even more dramatically. “It’s no fair you get to have tea and chocolate cake with your Lady Mother and I have to have my a-” you changed your word quickly with a glance at Frigga “backside handed to me by mine,” Loki was laughing as you used magic to change into your armor and headed to the practice courts.

    “Was Midgard really so hard on her to make her that jumpy? She acted as though I would harm her,” Frigga’s voice asked her sons with sorrow in her tone.

    “Because she is half-Jotun, she mortals cannot touch her skin without being severely frostbitten or worse. Until she found us again, no one had been table to touch her bare skin for 900 years without dying,” Loki explained sadly. “She still jumps occasionally when _I_ touch her without warning and gets that same panicked terrified look expecting that she has harmed me...”

    “Poor dear,” Frigga’s reply sounded heartbroken.

    You quickened your pace to the practice courts.

    “Daughter!” your mother greeted you brightly as you stepped out to the Valkyrie’s practice court. You smiled and went to her. “Was there trouble?” she asked, looking at your wings after you’d hugged her.

    “Oh, one of the court ladies made a nuisance of herself and upset my charge. She’s been dealt with,” you flapped your wings once and vanished them. “And Loki likes the wings,” you added sheepishly, which is why you tended to forget to vanish them when you didn’t need them.

    “Of course he does. Come, let’s see what you still remember,” your mother bid you with a mischievous smile. You sighed, steeled yourself, and stepped into the practice circle to get your ass handed to you.

    *

    You did better than you had expected. You’d kept up with training while you were exiled so your skills hadn’t deteriorated. Your mother actually told you that she was proud of you and that you were fit to be the prince’s Valkyrie. High praise indeed.

    That didn’t mean she and the other Valkyrie didn’t thoroughly hand your ass to you while they were testing you, and of course the ever-present humility lesson. So you were a limping bruise as you made your way back to the family wing, desperate for bruise balm and a hot bath. Your feet automatically went to Loki’s suite.

    “Lohk?” you asked as you walked in the never-locked door of the suite and stepped into the sitting room.

    “In here,” he called from the bedroom.

    “Do you have any bruise balm or do I have to go steal some from Thor? Mine would have expired a good 900 years ago,” you asked as you followed his voice. You smirked when you saw him. He was trying to read and dress for court at the same time. The book was floating on air in front of him while he was buttoning his pants, no shirt, and his hair falling into his face. You sighed at the familiar scene and ripped the book out of the air and vanished it.

    “Hey!” he protested, glaring at you.

    “Finish getting ready for whatever court function you’re trying to dress for and I’ll give the book back,” you told him just as you had so many times before. He grumbled at you, but didn’t argue. “Bruise balm?” you asked. He nodded toward the bathroom.

    “Where it always lives,” he replied. You kissed his cheek and limped your way into the bathroom. “Kyrie, what happened?” he asked, taking in your state now that he was over you stealing his book.

    You huffed. “Mother decided that she needed to test my skills,” you told him as you dug through the cabinet in the bathroom for the jar of bruise balm. “Then she and the rest of the Valkyrie on the palace grounds this morning decided to hand my ass to me,” you grumbled as you sat on his bed and opened the jar to start applying the goop to your many bruises.

    “Why in Valhalla would they do that?” Loki asked and took the jar from you to work on the bruises you couldn’t reach.

    “Because they needed to make sure I’m still worthy to be your Valkyrie after 900 years of exile. And then to make me remember to be humble after I’d proven myself,” you explained. His cold fingers rubbed the sore muscles of you back as he worked. “Mother actually gave me a compliment,”

    “That’s impressive indeed,” he told you warmly. “Mother had decided to have a full feast tonight because of our visit,” he added.

    “Of course she did,” you replied with a sigh. You were much more interested in a nice quiet evening with Loki than with entertaining the court, but you had a duty, which was even more important now that you and Loki were engaged. “Need as escort for whatever court thing you’re supposed to be going to?”

    “If you don’t mind. It’s not a function where it’s mandatory...” he trailed off.

    “Lohk, it’s no big deal for me to come with you. It’s my job, and your right as a prince,” you reminded him, wondering where this sudden shyness came from.

    He sighed. “Kyrie. I didn’t know what I was missing at the time, but I’ve had to get used to 900 years of not having-” he hesitated.

    “Not having a Valkyrie?” you asked and he nodded. “You didn’t think you deserved the honor,”

    “Why do you know me so well?” he grumbled, but laughed.

    “Because your mother is a very intelligent lady,” you replied, making him laugh harder. “Lohk, you’re a prince of Asgard. You have always deserved the honor of having a Valkyrie at your side. It’s time to remind the people of that, since they have obviously bruised you by forgetting.” You stood, stretched, and used magic to make sure your clothes and hair were in order, as well as clean from your workout earlier.

    “What did I ever do to deserve you?” Loki asked as he stood too, magic shimmering around him so he was dressed in court clothes. You handed him his book back when he was dressed and he laughed.

    “Loved me from the time we were infants,” you replied with a grin and kissed him.

    “You are incorrigible, my love,” he told you warmly and led the two of you from his suite. You walked beside him to whatever the court function was, you hadn’t bothered asking, and saw his relief and saw the strength he was taking from having you at his side again to face the court together.

    The court function was a mages’ council meeting. Loki and Frigga were both there and both took seats at the head of the table. You took your place standing just behind his chair, guard and advisor. The rest of the council looked surprised by your presence, but just gave you polite nods and small bows as they took their seats. The meeting was long and boring over a piece of legislature. You could see Loki losing his temper over the council being stupid. Frigga was letting him run the council session on his own. He would take over as head court magician someday, so the council needed to get used to him leading the meetings.

    You leaned down to whisper in his ear. Loki looked over at you when you moved and you caught the hint of gratitude in his eyes that you had a suggestion. “They should agree to a compromise,” you told him while the council watched on nervously, wondering what you were up to. “Agree to the lower taxation rate for a decade, but tie it to the condition that they increase the apprenticeship program. The crown can afford the lesser taxes from the mages and the young mages in the realm will be guaranteed training no matter their social status.” It had been a dream project of Loki’s for years to have all of the children with the capability for magic be taught to use it.

    “Wise as ever, Lady Valkyrie,” Loki told you warmly. He turned his attention back to the council and relayed your compromise to them. They all looked shocked, not expecting him to agree to the lesser taxes, and were quick to agree to expand the apprenticeship program in exchange.

    Frigga watched the proceedings and you saw the bright, proud expression in her eyes at how you’d both handled the council. “Very well done, darlings,” she told you after the council had left. “Impressively handled indeed,”

    “Thank you, Mother,” Loki replied, immensely proud at the praise, especially from Frigga. “And thank you, Kyrie, I never would have thought of that on my own,” he told you and kissed your cheek.

    “You would have. It was just a matter of thinking of it before your temper got the better of you,” you told him warmly.

    Frigga smiled warmly at you both. “You two always did work well together. I know you will be formidable against anything that dares try to stand in your way, and I believe the council just got a taste of that today,” she told you with a mischievous smirk of her own.

    *

    Dinner that night was a huge affair. Everyone was dressed in their formal best. There was way too much food, _way_ too much ale and mead, and way too many people you had to entertain. But your engagement was officially announced so you had to stand and accept the toast in your honor.

    But after dinner, the tables were shoved back against the walls and the dancing began. You and Loki danced the night away. You hadn’t danced properly in years, but your body remembered the steps. You laughed in delight as you spun through the fast dances, twirling effortlessly from partner to partner, until you ended up back in Loki’s arms at the end.

    Loki had done nothing but gain grace and fluidity over the years and you saw it during one of the complex traditional court dances, when the less experienced dancers stepped off the floor for a break. You and Loki stayed. You were a bit nervous, you hadn’t danced the complex dance in years, but Loki’s smile was reassuring and infectious. It was no more difficult than the combat drills.

    The dance started simply enough. You curtsied to Loki while he bowed, you stood and stepped together, your right arms raised, touching as you spun slowly, watching his eyes, his strong muscled shoulders for the change in moves. The dance sped, sensual movements as you glided around the room. Most of the court stopped to stare. Your eyes were only for Loki, most of your attention on your feet and the steps, though trusting him to lead. You nearly floated together across the floor in perfect sync. You watched his shoulders, the muscles of his chest, you watched his eyes, and saw his undiluted joy. You were in the middle of the room when the dance ended and he kissed you deeply, even while you were both breathing heavily from the effort of the complex dance.

    The court roared in applause, but more important was the joy of your Loki

    *

    It was late indeed when you finally escaped to your beds... or more accurately to pass out together in Loki’s bed. You both giggled like silly teenagers when you spotted the alcove hidden behind the statue of Yggdrasil and neither of you could help ducking into that alcove for a few stolen kisses. A couple of maids came past the alcove and you both ducked behind the statue to hide, even though you were adults and had absolutely nothing to hide about a few kisses. Old habits died hard.

    “Aren’t you two a little old to be making out in alcoves behind statues?” Thor’s voice boomed, laughter in his voice.

    You both reached a hand around the statue to flip him off without breaking your kiss. Thor laughed, grabbed your hands and dragged you out from behind the statue. “Come along children. Bed. We leave for Midgard at dawn,”

    “Thor~” you both pouted. He huffed and dragged you both by the wrist to your suites and chucked you both inside Loki’s.

    “Go to sleep troublesome mischief makers,” he growled at you, but you heard the laughter in his tone too. He’d missed the old relationship the three of you had had growing up.

    “Pfft, he throws us in your suite together and expects us to sleep?” you asked Loki loudly enough that Thor had to have heard from the other side.

    “My brother is an idiot,” Loki reminded you and in the next moment his arms were tightly wrapped around you and his lips were pressed to yours.

    “LALALA I don’t want to know what my baby brother is up to!” Thor shouted through the door, realizing his mistake. He’d meant to just chuck you two somewhere where you’d at least be quietly troublesome out of the way. Now he had a horrible feeling he knew exactly what you’d be up to and he did _not_ want to know about it.

    “Go away Thor!” you both shouted at Thor through the door.

    “I will come get you at dawn. You better be dressed!” he growled back before he stormed off.

    You laughed at Thor’s absurdity before returning to your previous activity of thoroughly kissing your Loki. That was a much more preferable activity to dealing with your Loki’s oaf of a brother. Much more preferable.


	26. Chapter 26

    Thor burst into your suite at dawn as promised. “You two better be dressed,” he growled, but found you and Loki sitting and reading on the couch in the sittingroom, perfectly dressed and ready to leave.

    “Your brother is loud in the morning,” you whined at Loki as you stood and vanished your book.

    “So you’ve been saying since we were five. I still don’t know what you expect _me_ to do about it,” Loki replied, just as he always had.

    “We need to return to Midgard,” Thor reminded you both.

    You sighed. “We know, Thor. It’s just. I haven’t been home in 900 years...” Thor wrapped you in his warm too muscled arms.

    “I know, Kyrie, I know, but we have responsibilities on Midgard. None of us can stay here right now, but we’ll come back and visit longer soon, I swear,” Thor told you kindly. You nodded against his chest. “Come along, children. We’ve let our friends worry over us long enough,” Thor bid you kindly and wrapped his arm around your shoulders while Loki protested for him to unhand you. Loki came up on your other side and you walked through the halls with your boys supportive on either side.

    Frigga and your mother met you in the entrance hall. You hugged your mother while the boys said goodbye to Frigga. “I expect all three of you to come home for a proper visit for Yule,” Frigga told you all firmly before she’d let you leave.

    “Yes, Mother,” answered the boys obediently.

    With that taken care of, you and Loki teleported the three of you to the Bifrost. Heimdall opened the Bifrost for you and you went through with tears in your eyes after one last look at home. You didn’t want to leave again, not after you’d finally been allowed home. “It will be alright, Kyrie-love. Yule is next month. We’ll be back home soon,” Loki reminded you when he caught your expression when you had reappeared next to the Avenger’s tower.

    “Thanks, Lohk,” you told him softly and the three of you trudged into the tower.

    “Where were you? What happened?” Cap demanded when you showed yourselves in the living room. You glared and stepped forward, automatically moving to defend your charges from his anger.

    “We had to return suddenly to Asgard,” Thor told him. “There was not time to inform anyone. There was an attack against Kyrie and the only way to diffuse it was to get her to our healers,” Thor was leaving out that it was Odin who had attacked you. It would just upset the others.

    “I thought you were exiled?” Nat asked, not unkindly.

    You nodded shyly. “I was. The Allfather lifted my exile,” you told her. She lit up in excitement.

    “Congratulations!” She told you warmly. You smiled in return. She knew how much it meant to you to finally be allowed to go home. The team relaxed now that they knew you were all safe.

    *

    “Thor, can I borrow Mjolnir?” you asked one evening about a week later when you walked into the living room. Thor looked over at you from the couch where he and Loki were trying to kill each other on some fighting game.

    “What for?” he asked, but gestured to the hammer, offering it. You held your hand out and Mjolnir flew to you.

    “Stark and I are going to that concert tonight,” you reminded him. You’d told the boys that you were going to be out tonight and going out with Stark. Neither of them had been interested in the idea of going to a concert.

    “Why do you need Mjolnir for that?” Loki asked, not taking his eyes from the screen.

    “Because it’ll be fun and Stark bet me a hundred bucks that I wouldn’t be able to get it from Thor to take it with us,” you replied. Loki shrugged, accepting that answer and Thor boomed in laughter. “We’re heading out now. You two try to behave,” you bid them warmly. They paused the game and you kissed Thor’s cheek, then kissed Loki a proper goodbye.

    “What are you wearing?” Loki asked, confused at your outfit.

    “What?” you glanced down, but knew you were just wearing jeans, a Led Zeppelin t-shirt from the 70s, combat boots, and a leather jacket.

    “You look like you’re going into battle,” he told you.

    You shrugged. “I’m going to a rock concert. Kinda the same thing,” you laughed at his confusion and kissed him again.

    “C’mon, kid, we’re going to be late,” Tony called from the elevator.

    “Coming, Stark. I had to get the hammer,” you told him and raised Mjolnir so he could see it.

    “Of course you’d get Point Break to hand over the hammer,” he teased, but handed over a hundred dollar bill as promised. You tucked it in your pocket with a grin. He drove one of his stupidly fast cars to the concert. Somehow the security guards let you bring Mjolnir in, though they all wanted to try to lift it from the security table. “So why’d you agree to come to this with me anyway?” Stark asked as you walked inside to find your seats.

    “I like the band. I listened to them back in the day,” you gestured to the shirt. “And when you said they were doing a reunion concert,” you shrugged. You had front row seats since Stark had bought your tickets. He was glad someone had taken him up on the offer to go to the concert. “You _do_ know what’s happening when they play the song, right?” you asked.

    He grinned like a small child in a candy store. “I’m looking forward to it, smurfette,” he told you brightly. You grinned and waited impatiently with him.

    The concert was great and loud and perfect.

    And then the lead guitar tuned for just an instant and you knew it was time. You stood, which drew absolutely no one’s attention since this was a rock concert.

     _Duh-da-duhduh_

     _Duh-da-duhduh_

     _Duh-da-duhduh_

     _Duh-da-duhduh_

    You grinned and watched Tony step back to record the imminent drama.

    You changed clothes with magic into your battle armor, black wings spreading wide as you flapped a couple of times to rise above the cheering crowd.

     _Ah-ah, ah!_

     _Ah-ah, ah!_

    You raised Mjolnir above your head and drew down lightning from the clear sky. The crowd roared and the band continued playing the song.

     _We come from the land of the ice and snow_

     _From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow_

    You landed lightly on the stage before they hit the next line. To their credit, they didn’t seem as all phased by an Asgardian bearing Mjolnir interrupting their concert.

     _The hammer of the gods_

     _We’ll drive our ships to new lands_

     _To fight the horde, and sing and cry_

     _Valhalla, I am coming!_

    You stayed on stage with them through the performance and summoned more lightning at the end of the song. There were applause for all of you when the song had ended and the band rushed over to you to thank you for coming up on stage and wanted to see Mjolnir. They loved having you on stage with them and you took plenty of pictures with the band. You reached off the stage and grabbed Tony’s sleeved arm to haul him up on the stage with you. He joined in the picture taking.

    It was a fun outing and Stark was surprisingly good company doing something you both enjoyed.

    *

    “Cap! I could use a boost!” you yelled on a mission fighting against monsters a couple days later. The monsters you were fighting were winged. You ran for Cap full out, your wings tucked against your back. Cap saw you running and identified your plan in an instant. You needed to get into the air fast. He positioned his shield moments before you reached him. You jumped and planted both feet on the shield and he used it to toss you high into the air. You spread your wings when you hit the top of the throw and began your aerial assault of the winged monsters.

    For some reason the winged creatures didn’t fare so well when their wings were blocks of ice. Strange. They started dropping from the skies quickly after that discovery.

    “Loki!” you shrieked and dove, folding your wings flat against your back as you bulleted for the ground. You spread them just in time to swoop out of the dive and grabbed him, hauling him out of the way of three different attacks all aimed at him at the same time.

    “Thanks, love,” he told you as you set him carefully on his feet.

    “Try not to die,” you told him, glaring up at the winged monsters high above you both.

    “Need a boost?” he asked.

    “Got a ride,” you replied and grabbed Stark’s arm as he flew by, letting him tow you higher back into the sky. “Thanks for the ride!” you called and spread your wings to get back to what you were doing.

    Until

    Shit!

    A piece of building was falling directly onto Loki’s head. You teleported down to him, grabbed him and teleported the two of you out from under the building as it came crashing down on your heads. “I would have done that,” Loki grumbled at you.

    “Sure you would,”

    “Kyrie, be careful. You can’t fight at full strength if you’re busy keeping one eye on me the entire battle. I can take care of myself,” he reminded you.

    “The winged creatures are weak against ice. Help me with them?” you asked. He hesitated, you both did, but he eventually nodded. “Stark, Thor, out of the way, it’s going to get icy up there,” you called over the comms. You grabbed Loki’s hand and started a spell you’d _never_ been allowed to try, especially together, he joined in a moment later when he realized what you were doing.

    “Kyrie, we’re not allowed-” he stopped when he realized _why_ you hadn’t been allowed to use this particular spell. A ball of ice appeared between between your free hands and grew as you threw power into the spell. Your skin turned blue, your eyes red as you worked. Loki was in the same state. You threw the ball of ice into the air and shot magic at it to explode it. It took down every flying monster.

    The battle ended minutes later. You and Loki both were shy out in public in Jotun form. Both terrified of the reactions of the team and the public as a whole. You saw Loki fighting to shift his form back quickly, but ice was still falling from the skies and hindered your attempts to turn back. You raised your wings to shield you both from the prying eyes of the onlookers.

    “Kids, you ok?” Stark asked as he landed beside you.

    You nodded. “We’re fine, but the ice-”

    “Breathe, Kyrie. No one is going to hurt either of you,” Nat reassured you as the team circled around you.

    “But- we’re-” you were being stupid out of fear.

    “If I hear the word ‘monster’ come out of your mouth, I am going to slap that bit of nonsense out of you,” Nat told you calmly. “Neither of you are, yes, even you Loki. Now breathe and come over here,” she grabbed both of your arms in her gloved hands and hauled you both to a tent SHIELD had set up. Neither of you could relax when you looked like monsters. She pressed hot cups of coffee into your hands. “Drink it, it’s not poisoned,” she told you and glared at Loki when he tried to turn up his nose at coffee. You sipped on the hot coffee and could finally shift forms back to Asgardian.

    “Guys, c’mon, shawarma time!” Tony called, peeking his head into the tent.

    “Just a minute,” Nat replied, Loki’s form was still shimmering back to Asgardian. “It’s still snowing,” she told you both and handed you an umbrella. You vanished your wings and took the umbrella from her.

    “What’s up with the snowmen?” he asked, not unkindly, just curious in his teasing way.

    “It’s hard to change back after playing with ice,” you told him and finished downing your coffee. Once you and Loki were successfully looking normal again, you stepped out into the snowfall and opened the umbrella above you so you wouldn’t accidentally turn back. Usually a little snowfall wouldn’t force the change, but after playing with an ice spell it was a possibility.

    The entire team trudged to the shawarma restaurant, took over one of the huge tables and all ate together in your battle costumes. You were all exhausted, but devoured the food and enjoyed the simple comaraderie of celebrating a win with food. Time honored tradition on Asgard too.


	27. Chapter 27

    “I refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving,” you growled at Clint the day before the stupid holiday. “I’ve never celebrated it and I don’t plan on starting now,” you grumbled, folding your arms and glaring at the group around the table.

    “Why not?” Clint replied too jovially. He was excited for the stupid holiday centered around eating too much. “We’re making a whole dinner it’s going to be a huge event in the ballroom downstairs,”

    “It’s a stupid Puritan holiday,” you growled the reply, grumpy that they were pushing on this. You grumbled and your wings fluttered. Loki ran his hand down your feathers, soothingly.

    “Care too much about the Indians?” Tony suggested, teasing, but not maliciously, just teasing, just curious what the issue was with this particular holiday.

    You surged to your feet and yanked up your pant leg so the whole team could see the old scar there. “The fucking puritans burned me at the stake for saving a village of sick children,” you snarled at Tony, but glaring at all of them. “I don’t celebrate the stupid holiday celebrating those sick assholes,” you growled with tears in your eyes at the old memories.

    You shoved your pant leg back down and stormed from the room to go beat up something downstairs. You’d never had any close enough friends on Midgard to try to make you celebrate the stupid holiday celebrating the people who tried to kill you.

    “Kyrie! I didn’t mean-”

     You ignored them and went to the stairs, taking them down to the training rooms. Loki was in one waiting for you, in workout pants cut so low you could see his hipbones. Especially as he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was leaning against the doorway to the training room, and must have teleported down here to beat you here. “Come, Lady Valkyrie. There is only one aid for that kind of soul wound, ok, there’s more than one, but you, my darling, are a Valkyrie, so in your case, only one” Loki bid you kindly, teasing a little, which just grated on your temper.

    “What did you need, Brother?” Thor asked, coming down the hallway behind you.

    “Our Lady Valkyrie needs our help,” Loki told him as he grabbed your wrist to haul you into the training room, formality today, this was duty not pleasure. Thor nodded and shoved you inside, placing his hands on your shoulders. You vanished your wings before he could hurt them. Thor wasn’t the most careful when it came to your wings.

    “What are you to up to?” you grumbled at your boys, still in an awful mood from all this talk of the stupid holiday. Thor slammed the door closed behind him and locked it.

    “Dance with us Lady Valkyrie. You’ll feel better after you’ve worked off some of the pain of old memories,” Thor bid you kindly. They were offering to be sparring partners. One of them alone would have a hard time fighting you, and you already knew you could take Loki. Both of them could take your temper and full strength. It would be safe to spar with them, especially since they had been fighting together for centuries.

    “You don’t have to do this,” you told them, even as your workout clothes shimmered into place instead of the clothes you’d been wearing.

    “It is our duty. Besides, I don’t think I’ve fought you at full strength and temper since Loki pissed you off by sicking Lord Bodil on you,” Thor teased, which just sparked your temper higher. You offered them a bow, each, reminding them and you that this was a sparring match and nothing more. You rushed Thor and the dangerous game began. Thor taunted and teased, riling up old memories, fueling your temper and anger at the people who had hurt you so many years ago.

    You don’t know how long you fought them. They were both gods, and while they weren’t Valkyrie, they had the strength and stamina to endure your attacks, especially without weapons, as this drill was. They also played off each other, taking turns so you were constantly moving, but they could conserve as much energy as possible. The fight was vicious and brutal and none of you came out of it unscathed. You knew Loki had to go all out and had a feeling Thor was going to close to full out if he wasn’t going full-out too. You were close, but not quite, not to the levels of desperation of the trials.

    You stumbled once too many, exhausted after hours upon hours of fighting them straight, and would have collapsed into Thor if he hadn’t caught you. “Well done, Lady Valkyrie,” he told you warmly as he settled you back on your feet. Loki came up and wrapped an arm around you. You were all panting and exhausted, bruised and sore. You had a feeling that the boys wouldn’t have been able to last much long either, and were glad to have an excuse to stop you from beating the snot out of them.

    You smiled up at Thor. “Thanks, Thunderhead,” you leaned up to kiss his cheek. “And thank you, love. You were right,” you kissed Loki, who gladly kissed you back though were were all sweaty and gross. “Thanks, boys, that _was_ what I needed,” you linked arms with them feeling much better after fighting out your emotions, to head out of the training room and stopped short when you saw the entire rest of the team sitting outside of the window wall in lawn chairs with popcorn. Thor unlinked his arm from yours and opened the training room door. The second he did, the rest of the team stood and burst into applause.

    Teasing assholes.

    “You guys just fought for five hours straight,” Clint told you all, impressed.

    “Jarvis let us know what something interesting was going on down here,” Tony added excited and in awe.

    “Do not doubt the skills of our Valkyrie,” Thor told them jovially and draped his big sweaty arm across your shoulders.

    “Get off, oaf, you’re covered in sweat and gross,” you teased, though you were equally sweaty, gross, and exhausted. You’d fought for five hours straight and your boys had kept up with you.

    “And you’re cold,” he teased right back. You smirked and looked over at him before you carefully blew frost in his face. “Blargh!” he laughed, jovial at your teasing.

    “Seriously. Five. Hours. Straight. That’s insane!” Clint was still going on about the fight.

    “That was pretty impressive, especially against two Asgardians,” Nat added, looking at you.

    You shrugged. “I’m Asgardian too, and at least as trained of a warrior as these two loons.” That was just modesty and the boys knew it.

    “Love, you can kick my ass in a fair fight. The only reason we stood against you was that you were letting us and we were working together,” Loki reminded you. “Now come get cleaned up before we start smelling like the oaf,” he teased Thor, who just shrugged, used to Loki’s teasings.

    “Kyrie, please come to the feast tomorrow. I know you don’t care about the holiday, but can you not enjoy sharing a meal with your family?” Thor asked.

    You sighed. “Fine, oaf, but if Shellhead puts up _any_ puritan decorations, I _will_ burn them down,”

    “Fair enough,” Stark replied and started giving orders to Jarvis and Pepper about the decorations. That settled, you took Loki’s hand and teleported the two of you upstairs so you could shower and so you could tuck your Loki into bed. He was more exhausted after a five hour long battle than he wanted to admit. So you tucked him into bed and curled up with him to make sure he stayed there.

    *

    The dinner the next day wasn’t awful. There were a _lot_ more people than you’d been expecting. Apparently Tony had invited all of the SHIELD agents who had no homes for Thanksgiving, as well as anyone who worked at Stark Industires with nowhere to go, friends, family, all of the misfits he or any of the team had come across ended up here. Doctor Strange and his friends from the sanctum were here too.

    Since there were so many people, you sat between Loki and Thor; you didn’t trust the public not to touch you, even though you were wearing a thick adorable sweater. Tony had kept his word and removed every image of a puritan from the room, instead leaving turkey and food decorations. You still weren’t happy about the holiday, but sharing a feast with the team was fun.

    *

    The next day you introduced the boys to Black Friday. You got them up super early and dressed in your battle armor. “Why are we doing this?” Loki groaned as he and Thor donned armor too. “And why do we need to be armed?”

    “The mortals are stupid on Black Friday,” you reminded him. “But the sale prices are stupidly good and I have a bunch of people to buy Christmas presents for this year. Nat, are you ready?” you called. Nat settled her batons into place.

    “Is this the crew?” she asked.

    You nodded. “No one else wanted to join our fun,” you told her.

    “At least you brought the boys to carry our bags,” she teased. Thor and Loki both huffed and the adventure began. Nat drove you to the mall in one of the SHIELD SUVs.

    “Why are there so many mortals here today?” Thor demanded. “The hour is too early for this,”

    “It is an epic battle for awesome sales in the market,” you reminded him. “Everyone is doing their Christmas shopping today because the sales are so good. You all piled out of the SUV and strode in your intimidating group to the mall. The crowds got out of your way when the realized that you were the real Avengers and not just people in costume. You got all of your shopping done in record time. There was only one disagreement when some lady tried to take something out of Nat’s hands. Thor stepped forward and his hand was around the lady’s wrists.

    “Unhand the item, lady,” he warned her. Thor was nicer than any of the rest of you. Loki hated the crowds and looked ready to stab someone. Or all of the mortals in his vicinity. His intimidating glare kept most of them away, which is why you brought him on this adventure. Thor was huge and kept most people away due to sheer size.

    Nat got her item back from the lady and you completed your purchases in that store. You linked your arm with Nat’s carefully and the two of you continued on your way with the boys following, pretending they were the bodyguards for once.

    That evening the entire team worked together to put up the Christmas tree in the living room. You all worked to decorate it, though you had to explain the tree to the boys. When it was done and Tony had put the star on top, you sat around the living room watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate.

    *

    “Loki! It’s snowing!” you woke Loki stupidly early one morning. He looked out the window excitedly. You grabbed his hand and teleported the two of you up to the launching pad. He giggled in delight at the inches of snow already covering the launch pad. “Welcome to our beach,” you teased. While Thor and his friends preferred their sunny, hot beach, playing in the sand, you and Loki would have your own beach at 3am in the snow. He laughed and used magic to change into swim trunks. You giggled at how silly your love was, and then proceeded to change into your bikini. You played in the snow like children, not caring when your forms turned to Jotun. You worked together to keep the snow falling on your roof and spent an enjoyable predawn morning building snowmen and decorating them to look like your team members. You also built a snow-castle and were in the middle of a huge snowball fight when Thor burst out onto the roof.

    “Jarvis said you were up here and was concerned over your behavior. What are you two children up to?” he demanded, grumpy at being woken at stupid o’clock in the morning. You both whirled and threw snow in Thor’s face at the exact same moment. Thor just sighed when the snow slid down his face to land on the ground. “I should have expected that...” he grumbled. You laughed and threw more snow at him.

    “This is our beach, Thor. You and your idiot friends had your beach day. This is ours,” you told him and fell backwards into the snow, relishing in the cold and the light of the moon above you.

    “And you had to do that in your underwear?” Thor asked as he bent to scoop up snow to chuck at his brother.

    “Swimwear, Brother,” Loki replied. “You are hopeless with fashion as ever,” he teased and threw yet more snow at Thor.

    “Are we being attacked?” Tony asked from inside an Iron Man suit as he flew up to the roof. You grabbed a ball of snow and threw it at Stark. He shot a repulsor beam at you and you dove out of the way.

    “Oi! Shellhead, repulsors aren’t fair in a snowball fight!” you yelled at him and pelted him with more snow as you rolled to your feet. Loki turned from his battle with Thor to help you against he more dangerous adversary.

    “What are you two snowmen doing out here? At 5 in the morning?” Stark demanded as he landed.

    “We were enjoying our beach day,” you grumbled at him. “We built snowmen and a snow castle, and were having an epic snowball fight when you and Thunderhead interrupted,”

    Somehow instead of that ending the snowball fight, the rest of the team came out in their winter gear and joined in the snow war.

    “Ice magic is no fair!” Clint protested when you defended Loki with a wall of ice. “Damn Jotuns,” he grumbled, even as Thor went running through your thin wall of ice. He was met with a face full of snowballs from you and Loki.

    The team was all drenched and shivering when they decided to go back inside. Thor realized that you and Loki weren’t going to come with him, intending on enjoying your snowday. He sighed, grumbled about idiot winter children, and tossed you both over his shoulders to carry you back inside.

    “We’re fine, Thor!” you protested.

    “You’re mostly naked outside and blue. That’s not fine,” Thor grumbled. He wouldn’t put you down until he dropped you both on your couch and wrapped you in blankets. Nat passed you mugs of hot chocolate.

    “It’s not weird when _we’re_ blue, Thunderhead,” you reminded Thor grumpily, but sat under your blanket and sipped on your hot chocolate, your form slowly shimmering back to Asgardian. You and Loki were both laughing, though, cheeks still flushed from your excitement on the roof and your silly enjoyable morning.

    “You two are going to be the death of me,” Thor said mournfully.

    You and Loki just laughed harder. “He’s been saying that since we were three. It’s beginning to lose its effect,” Loki commented.

    “It was at that time the troublesome children became properly mobile and started terrorizing everyone,” Thor explained to the others while you and Loki stuck your tongues out at him.

    “We have stories about you too, Thor,” you reminded him before he got started. He called your bluff.

    “Like how that one,” he gestured to Loki. “Escaped his nannies one day and ran through the halls of the palace while foreign dignitaries were visiting so he could find his mama. He was all of five and naked as the day he was born.” The team roared in laughter at that mental image, while Loki glared and turned red at that reminder. The dignitaries had been amused and Frigga had blown the whole thing off as an incident of ‘children, what are you going to do with them?’

    “What about you and Lady Sif deciding that Odin’s throne was a private place to have sex?” you countered with a glare. You didn’t care for Thor embarrassing Loki. “And your Father found you and Lady Sif naked as the day you were born when you were a hundred and should have known better, on his throne, with foreign dignitaries,”

    “And your brother and his Valkyrie-in-training found you like that too,” Loki added dryly. You had accompanied him that day even though you hadn’t been an official Valkyrie yet. Everyone had known you would be assigned to Loki when you passed the trials, so you went with him to official functions even before you’d been official. Odin wanted you and Loki there that day for show, especially since Thor was missing. “That is unfortunately an image that is never leaving my brain.” Loki added with a growl.

    “Or mine,” you agreed sourly. Not that you hadn’t seen Thor naked plenty of times. You went swimming in your skins plenty over the summers when you were kids and didn’t know any better. That didn’t mean you wanted to see a grown naked Thor having sex on his father’s throne.

    “I was in trouble for _ages_ over that...” Thor grumbled, remembering. The team was laughing at that too. He glared at you for bringing it up. “What about you running through the halls of the palace in nothing but your skin and the daggers in your hands?” Thor tried.

    You rolled your eyes. “Not embarrassing,” you reminded him, while the team laughed at that image anyway. “A dumb-ass assassin broke into Loki’s suite to assassinate the princeling. I was taking a bath in his tub after combat lessons since his bath water had been drawn and mine hadn’t yet, and he was reading in his sittingroom.” You shrugged, it hadn’t been uncommon to be constantly in the others’ rooms. “We were... twenty or so, looked to be about twelve or thirteen by Midgardian standards. The assassin broke in through the balcony and when he realized that he had an angry Valkyrie-in-training to deal with too, ran through the halls of the palace to escape. It didn’t matter that we were only twenty, it was no longer an easy assassination once a second trained warrior was in on the defense. Naturally, I had to go after the assassin so he couldn’t try again. I caught up to him and took him down right outside of the open throne room doors, in full sight of the court and all of our parents, stark-ass nude. The guards secured him, I summoned some clothes, and had to present myself in front of the king and explain my actions, which was terrifying, as Odin is _really_ scary, especially when I thought I’d be in trouble for running through the palace halls nude and taking down an assassin on my own when I wasn’t fully qualified yet. But, once I told him that the moron tried to assassinate his son and I went straight from my bath to stop it, I was congratulated and they told me they were proud of me and would make a fine Valkyrie someday. For some reason no one cared that I’d been naked when they realized I’d saved Loki’s life,” you shrugged.

    “Yeah, that’s not embarrassing,” Nat added. “I’ve killed people naked before. Both when I was naked and they were naked and not at the same time,” she shrugged. You smirked over at her and the rest of the team started telling embarrassing stories about the others as well. It was a fun silly way to spend the morning.


	28. Chapter 28

    On Christmas Adam, more commonly known as Christmas Eve Eve, or December 23rd, you all sat around the Christmas tree in your pajamas exchanging presents with the team. Everyone was leaving the next morning to spend the holidays with various friends and family. So you all sat around the tree with hot chocolate in your pajamas, watching stupid old Christmas movies. Most of the gifts were silly things, jokes and gags, nerf weapons, Avengers toys, Nat made everyone a scrapbook, apparently she did it every year and everyone was always shocked at how detailed it was and just how much into everyones’ privacy she had delved, Clint just rolled with it and happily looked through his scrapbook. You _may_ have beaten her, though it was a close competition. You’d made a bunch of calls and done some teleporting around various cities, collecting people for your project as well as a little use of magic, but managed to get a signed group picture of all of the actors who played the Avengers, in costume for each member of the team. You’d staged a picture identical to one you had of the entire team, minus yourself obviously since you weren’t in the movie, though Loki was and he was a pain in the ass to convince to be in the picture. So you gave them the pictures in a two-picture frame and they _loved_ them.

    You were a little surprised that Loki insisted that he was giving you your present once you returned to Asgard. He’d also insisted that you not get him anything, quite forcibly, and repeatedly, and Thor had insisted just as spectacularly, so you knew that they were up to something, you just didn’t know what. “No presents this year,” Loki and Thor kept insisting, repeatedly. It was quite annoying actually. They were so insistent.

    “Don’t forget, we’re leaving at dawn for Asgard,” Thor reminded you and Loki.

    You both rolled your eyes. “We’re not children who need to go to bed at 10pm,” you reminded him grumpily.

    “If you want Santa to come...” Tony teased. You grabbed a ball of wrapping paper to throw at him. You all laughed and the wrapping paper war began.

    You and Loki teleported yourselves and your presents up to his bedroom after everyone was worn out by the war and the fun evening. “I still feel bad I haven’t gotten you anything for Yule,” you told Loki softly when you were alone.

    “I told you not to, angel,” Loki reminded you.

    “You’re up to something, trickster,” you accused. He shrugged and gave you a smirk, but didn’t dare deny it. You were almost as good at spotting a lie as he was, so he didn’t bother trying.

    “You’ll fine out tomorrow, dearest. Thor, Mother, and I have been working hard on this, so be patient until then,” he bid you warmly as you set your presents on the desk and pulled back the blankets to climb into bed. You did need _some_ sleep if you were to leave at dawn.

    “I should have gotten you something!” you told him, distressed that he was going through all this effort for you and you he wasn’t letting you do anything nice for him in return. “And Thunderhead,” you added.

    “Tomorrow, darling. Trust me,” he bid you and pulled you into the bed with him. “Stop fretting and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,”

    *

    You woke to an empty bed in the morning, shortly before dawn. You looked around frantically and drew a blade, looking and feeling for your Loki. He wasn’t here and you couldn’t feel him anywhere. You bolted out of the bed, but paused when you saw the flashing piece of magic on the nightstand. It was a note. You went to pick it up and read it, growling at whatever was going on this early in the morning.

     _Kyrie-love,_

     _Mother needed my help and asked that I return early. It wasn’t urgent enough to wake you. Go back to bed, dearest, I know you got up too early. Thor will wake you when it’s time to join us, sometime after dawn. Try not to stab him just because I did not wake you. Mother would like him in one piece today._

     _No, Heimdall will not open the Bifrost for you. Don’t try. Go back to bed._

     _Love always,_

     _Loki_

    You chuckled at your silly trickster. “I love you too,” you said softly and the note vanished with a shimmer of green magic. You sighed and climbed back into bed to try to get a couple more hours of sleep. Loki was safe on Asgard, the note shimmering away told you he was ok, the magic wouldn’t have worked otherwise. You stole his pillow to cuddle and managed to doze back off for awhile, though it was strange trying to sleep alone when you’d gotten so used to his presence. You disliked it. Immensely.

    Thor knocked on the door and woke you from your doze. It was well past dawn. You jumped up and yanked open the door. He chuckled when he saw you. “You were supposed to be relaxing, Sister dear,” Thor teased.

    “Loki’s gone,” you reminded him sourly.

    He chuckled. “Mother needed him early. Stop fretting, little Valkyrie,” he told you warmly. “He’s perfectly safe at the palace with Mother. Come along,” he bid you and took your hand.

    “What are you up to, Thunderhead?” you grumped and followed him from the room. He led you down to the dining room and your usual place at the table.

    “Spending a morning with my sister before we’re due home,” he told you warmly. You raised an eyebrow, but let him push you into your seat and he brought over breakfast from the kitchen. You chatted over breakfast while you tried to figure out what the boys were up to. They were actually working together, which was even more strange for the princes. They rarely worked together, and that was only in life or death situations, with tons of bickering.

    After a leisurely breakfast, you both changed to Asgardian clothes and headed outside so Thor could call the Bifrost. Apparently Heimdall wasn’t going to listen to you today. Your Mother, Frigga, and Sif were all waiting for you when you arrived. “What are you three up to?” you asked after the greetings had been exchanged.

    Thor chuckled. “She has been suspicious all morning,” he whined at Frigga.

    “I’m sure you did your best, darling,” she told him warmly. “Come along, darlings, Sigun, we have a lot of preparations to attend to before the celebration this evening. Thor, will you kindly make sure Kyrie comes with us instead of wandering off to find your brother?” Frigga asked Thor, knowing that’s exactly what you’d do given the opportunity. “You’ll see him soon enough, darling,” Frigga told you kindly. “He’s helping with another part of the preparations,”

    The day after that was a whirlwind of preparations, you assumed for a Yule celebration. There were dress fittings, hair and makeup done for all of the ladies, while Thor pretended he wasn’t bored and chatted with his warrior friends outside, shoes to pick out, a Thor to dress in formalwear, warrior boys to round up and scrub, a Sif to throw kicking and screaming into a dress. You picked out a gorgeous floor length gown that was simple in its elegance. It was the blue of your Valkyrie cape. Sif was in a similar dress, though not as elegant.

    Frigga led your entire entourage to the throne room. You were on Thor’s arm and seriously wondering what was going on. Especially as you hadn’t seen Loki all day. The warrior boys slipped in the double doors first, followed by your mother, then Sif. “One last thing, darling,” Frigga told you warmly. She waved a hand and her magic floated over your dress. The color bled from it until it turned pure white. She beamed and placed a tiara carefully in your professionally styled hair before she pressed a bouquet into your hands. “900 years has been enough of a delay, don’t you agree, my little Valkyrie?” she asked you warmly.

    There were tears in your eyes when you realized what she and your boys had set up.

    “Far too long of a delay,” you agreed.

    She touched your cheek. “No tears on your wedding day, darling,” she told you warmly, gently, kindly.

    “Yes, mother,” you replied and gave her a bright smile instead. You hadn’t called her mother since you were a small child and hadn’t known better. You saw her undiluted joy that you had today. You still couldn’t believe this day was actually happening, not after 900 years of exile. She nodded when she felt you ready and headed into the throne room to take her place for the ceremony.

    Thor looked at you with a smile. “Ready, little sister?” he asked, overjoyed that you were finally marrying Loki.

    You steeled your spine, tried to prepare and calm your spinning mind, and finally nodded. “Yes, it’s time, this should have happened years ago.” Thor nodded with his warm puppy-like smile, and offered you his arm again. You placed your hand on his arm, holding your bouquet in the other hand. Thor nodded to the guards at the double doors so they could swing the doors open all the way.

    You took a breath, and with Thor strong at your side, took the first step into the packed throne room, toward the throne, and your Loki who was waiting at the steps to the throne for you, for your wedding.


	29. Chapter 29

    You kept your grip on Thor’s arm, nervous at suddenly being at your wedding. And yet, it was perfect. A surprise wedding kept you from fretting about it for months, plus it was 900 years overdue. You walked with Thor at your side down the aisle. Frigga was waiting for you before the throne. Loki stood in front of her, his back turned to you as tradition demanded. He was forbidden to turn to look at you. You could see the tension in his shoulders even from the other end of the long aisle at the temptation to do it anyway.

    You were even more surprised to see Stark standing next to Loki, in what would be Thor’s place once the pair of you reached the throne. Nat was standing next to Sif as your bridesmaids. It nearly brough tears to your eyes. “The team arrived with Loki this morning,” Thor told you in a whisper. You realized you hadn’t seen them all morning. Tricky friends keeping the secret. They had said they were traveling to spend Christmas with friends and family. “The men drew lots to determine who would stand beside Loki,” he added as you walked and focused on not falling on your face.

    The entire focus of getting up the aisle was not falling flat on your face. Do. Not. Fall. On. Face. Do not fall on face. Donotfallonface. Must not fall on face while wearing wedding dress.

    You saw the wings of the Valkyrie in the crowd, most of them were lining the aisle between the half-way point and the throne. Their wings were in hues of the golds and light browns of the Asgardian hair colors. When you reached the half-way point two of the Valkyrie stepped out to block your path, their dragonfang blades crossed across the aisle. Neither of them spoke, but you knew the tradition.

    Thor dropped your arm. The Valkyrie raised their swords to let him pass and crossed them again to block your way once he had. Thor made his way confidently up to the throne and took his place next to Loki. You were a Valkyrie of Asgard and had to face the conclusion of this trial alone.

    You saw Thor lean to Loki after giving you another glance. “Wait until you see her, Brother,” he teased and you saw the tension ease in Loki’s shoulders at his brother’s joke, the reassurance. You smiled at your silly boys.

    You concentrated for a moment to do it gracefully, and summoned your wings, unfurling them from your back elegantly to the gasp of the crowd. Your jet black wings were a sharp contrast to your pure white dress.

    You summoned your dragonfang blade and stepped forward.

    A third Valkyrie stepped out into the aisle, standing facing you and held her sword pointed at you. You placed your blade against hers. She was the matron, the trainer of all the young Valkyrie and you had known her your entire life. “This union is your choice, Sister?” she asked you, loudly enough that the entire throne room could hear.

    “This union is the deepest desire of my heart,” you gave the reply. She stepped aside and bowed to you as the other Valkyrie, every single one in the crowd, raised her dragonblade sword in solidarity.

    “Proceed with our blessing, Lady Valkyrie, and with our protection,” the matron bid you. You vanished your blade, gripping your bouquet instead, and the matron moved in front of you, while the other two walked on either side as you made your way the rest of the way to the throne, surrounded by your sister Valkyrie as honor guard. You smiled at the raised blades in the crowd, solidarity from all of the Valkyrie in the palace.

    The matron stepped aside at the last row of spectators, the row that included your mother and the rest of your Midgardian friends. Your honor guard turned to face the aisle, letting you pass alone. You took one more step forward and Frigga nodded to Loki, giving him his cue.

    He turned then, elegant in his formal finery, golden horned helmet included. You smiled brightly at him, heard his gasp as he fought to keep his mouth from falling open. You flushed a little at his obvious approval of your looks.

    You took the last few steps to him and Sif took your bouquet so you could take his hands. “Words cannot describe how lovely you are, Kyrie-love,” he whispered as you turned to face him, both of you standing before Frigga, your hands joined in front of you.

    “Ceremonial clothes suit you as well, your highness,” you teased and he grinned at you.

    Frigga smiled at you both warmly. “Traditionally there would be a year and a day betrothal between the official engagement and wedding,” she started, addressing the crowd. “However, this wedding has already been delayed long enough,” there were some chuckles from the crowd, those who knew more of the story. “So we have agreed that the engagement has been fulfilled and now with no further delays:”

    Frigga summoned a golden ribbon out of thin air.

    “Loki, my son, Y/N, Valkyrie of Asgard, the ties that are bound here today greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul’s growth. Do you seek to enter this ceremony?”

    “Yes,” you and Loki both answered at the same time, excitement in your voices. Frigga grinned at your joy.

    “This cord is a symbol of the connection between your two lives. As your hands are bound together by this cord, so too, will your lives be bound together in marriage.” She wrapped the ribbon around the wrists of your joined hands. You couldn’t believe this was actually happening, after all this time it was finally, finally happening.

    “Today you are holding the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, as you promise to love each other forever on your wedding day.

    These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.

    These are the hands that will passionately love and cherish you through the years  
and will comfort you like no other.

    These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

    These are the hands that will wipe tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

    These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

    These are the hands that will help you hold your family together as one.

    These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

    And these are the hands that – even when wrinkled and aged – will still be reaching for yours and expressing the same tenderness they do today with just a touch.”

    You squeezed Loki’s hands and he squeezed yours back, both of you grinning with tears of joy dancing in your eyes.

    “Just as your hands are now bound together, so too, are your lives. Because you cannot always be physically joined together, you will each give to the other a wedding ring to symbolize that connection. It will be worn on your hand as a constant reminder of the bond shared between you as a married couple.” Frigga’s golden ribbon vanished and you panicked for one instant about not having a ring until Frigga held out both of her hands, a ring in each. You reached forward and took the ring from the hand closest to you while Loki did the same. You carefully slipped the silver ring on the ring finger of Loki’s left hand. Silver wasn’t one of his colors, so the ring would stick out even more against his usual gold and black. He took your left hand and slipped the slim silver wedding band onto your finger as well.

    “With joy in my heart, I pronounce this binding complete. Prince Loki and Princess Y/N are officially wed this day. My son, you may kiss your bride,” Frigga announced, her voice warm and joyful. You hadn’t _forgotten_ but neglected to appreciate that in marrying Loki, you became a princess. It hadn’t seemed important, and really, nothing changed. Loki bent the scant distance between your lips and kissed you to the roars of the crowd.

    You turned to make your way back down the aisle, your hand in Loki’s, to lead the procession to the wedding feast.

    Every single Valkyrie in attendance stepped into the aisle, one on either side of the aisle and raised their blades above their heads, making an arch for you to walk under. It was tradition for a Valkyrie wedding. You and Loki walked calmly through their arch, grinning like joyful children.

    The last pair of Valkyrie crossed their blades in front of you, blocking your way. They gave Loki a look. He smirked in reply and turned to kiss you. It was the toll to get past the last of the Valkyrie on a Valkyrie’s wedding day. He turned you and bent you backwards, dipping you and kissing you well. He would pay the toll properly. He stood you back on your feet and the Valkyrie raised their swords with grins. However...

    The one on Loki’s side moved quickly and swatted him lightly on the ass with the flat of her blade. “Welcome to the Valkyrie, your highness,” she bid him loudly. You both laughed and proceeded to the wedding feast.

    The feast was huge and would last all night. You and Loki went straight to your table. Thor, his warrior friends, and the Avengers had the next closest table and Frigga and Odin had a small table close as well.

    Thor reached you first and hugged you both. He clapped Loki’s back for his hug and kissed your cheek on yours. “Congratulations!” he bid you loudly. Sif and the Warriors Three congratulated you next. Sif hugged you, the warrior bows bowed over you hand to kiss your knuckles.

    “How did you guys get here? How did Odin approve it?” you asked the team when they approached.

    Nat came over and kissed the air next to your cheek, very careful not to touch your skin. “Congratulations, Kyrie,” she bid you warmly.

    “Father did us a favor and allowed our teammates to come for the wedding,” Thor explained as more congratulations were exchanged.

    “I brought them with me this morning and helped the men find suitable clothing while Mother found a lovely dress for Lady Natasha,” Loki explained. You hadn’t noticed that the team _were_ all wearing Asgardian style clothes. “I then had to spend the _rest_ of the day keeping Stark from destroying all of our technology to study it,” he whined and you laughed. “He wanted to take apart the soulforge,”

    “The healers would have killed him,” you told Loki. Loki inclined his head.

    “So he carefully gave us tours of the palace and kept you from seeing us all day,” Clint explained, looking around the palace still in awe.

    “And before you fret, sleeping arrangements have been made already. Sif, Thor, and the Warriors Three will make sure our friends are taken care of. Sif is already prepared to carry Stark to bed when he gets too drunk,” Loki told you quickly and kissed your cheek at your indignant look. Of course you’d worry about your friends. “Stick to the ale or mead Stark, anything strong will put you on your ass faster than you’d like to be,” Loki advised.

    You had to greet more well-wishers before you could finally sit and have the feast begin. “Loki, this is amazing,” you told him when you were finally alone. “How-?”

    He smiled at you warmly. “I told you that Mother, Thor, and I have been working on this together. The hardest part was keeping it secret from you, my dear,” he told you. “And making sure every detail was perfect so you wouldn’t fret. I do hope you didn’t mind that it was a surprise?”

    “Not at all, love. It was perfect. Thank you,”

    “Anything for you, my Valkyrie,”

    There was way too much food, even more ale and mead. You danced with Loki to the cheers of everyone as you floated gracefully across the dance floor. You danced with others throughout the night, including Thor, the warrior boys, and even a slightly tipsy Stark, though you had to summon gloves to dance with him. You didn’t mind and he was a better dancer than he wanted to let on.

    Part of the way through the evening, Frigga passed you a chalice of mead to share with Loki, as was tradition. You thanked her and accepted her congratulations and her welcome to the family. When you sat with Loki and drank the mead, Thor made his way over.

    You sighed heavily, knowing what was coming. “Get it over with, Oaf,” you teased him. He laughed and raised Mjolnir high above his head to the cheers of the crowd. He set it carefully on your lap.

    “What’s going on?” Bruce asked the other Avengers in a whisper.

    “Give me nieces and nephews, little sister,” Thor teased you right back, his voice warm and full of mirth.

    “Someday, oaf. Now kindly remove the symbol of your manhood from my lap, before I do it myself, or your brother stabs you,” you grumbled, but goodnaturedly. Loki summoned a dagger, but he wouldn’t stab Thor over this, especially today. You turned to your Avenger friends when Thor did as he was told. “It’s tradition for Mjolnir, or a symbol therein, to be placed in the bride’s lap as a prayer of fertility to Thunderhead. How he became the god of fertility too, I’ll never know,” you teased, sticking your tongue out at Thor.

    “You wound me,” Thor protested.

    “He’s hot, that’s why,” Nat commented dryly. The group turned and stared at her, counting how many drinks she’d had. She shrugged. “What? Everyone was thinking it.” No one dared answer that accusation. She was right, nearly everyone in their right mind thought that, including straight men.

    The dancing and feast would last until dawn. In the middle of the night sometime, Thor whistled loudly and you laughed, knowing what would come next. The party would continue without you and Loki. The crowd roared, cheered, and drank more ale, knowing what was coming. “He brought us for manual labor,” Stark grumbled as their group came over as well as Sif and the Warriors Three. The Avengers hauled Loki up onto their shoulders while he grumbled at the indignity of it. The Warriors Three and Thor lifted you onto theirs. It had to be this arrangement since the mortals couldn’t risk touching your skin. Sif led the procession to the family wing of the palace while you giggled and Loki grumbled that he needed no help finding his chambers.

    “It is tradition, Brother, you know that,” Thor replied when Loki complained too much. They set you down outside of Loki’s suite. Thor opened the door and shoved the two of you inside. “Congratulations!” he bid you one last time before he closed the suit door and he and your friends returned to the party.

    You turned to Loki and somehow your lips were on his without another word, though you didn’t remember moving. “We’re married,” you told him warmly between kisses.

    “Finally,” he replied a moment before his lips had returned to yours. You moved to the bed chamber, your clothes disappearing as you did courtesy of magic. Your lips didn’t move from his as you climbed into the bed to celebrate your wedding night properly. Neither of you noticed turning Jotun during, and you fell asleep in a tangle of blue limbs and black feathered wings after a perfect wedding, a perfect day, a perfect night with your Loki.

    “I love you, princess,” he whispered before you fell asleep.

    “And I love you my prince,”


	30. Chapter 30

    You woke the next morning just after dawn due to long habit. You were still tangled with Loki, both of your bodies Jotun blue. Your head was resting on his chest where you could listen to his heart beat. You opened your eyes and saw him sleeping peacefully. You smiled at your sleeping Loki and kissed him lightly. He really was yours now for the rest of your days. He opened his eyes and kissed you back. “Morning, my prince,” you told him warmly.

    “Princess,” he replied warmly and kissed you again.

    “That’s going to take awhile to get used to,” you commented.

    He raised an eyebrow. “Surely it can’t be _that_ strange? You had to have expected it since we were children,” he reminded you.

    “I did... it’s just a big difference between being a Valkyrie and being a _princess_ ,” you reminded him. “Just because I grew up with you two loons and was basically treated like a princess, there was still a social difference between Valkyrie and royalty,”

    He shrugged. “It’s not that big of a gap. Besides, you, my darling, are very resilient. You will adapt to being both a Valkyrie and royalty,” he reminded you and kissed you again. “Since we’re up, we do have things to do,” he added with a mischievous smirk.

    You groaned. “We just got married yesterday. Odin’s beard, what things could we _possibly_ have to do?” you grumbled and fwumped your head back on his chest.

    He laughed. “Nothing unpleasant, I assure you,” he told you warmly and kissed your forehead. “The team will be returning to Midgard after breakfast, so we must eat with them before they go. They grumbled something about ‘Christmas’ until I agreed, and then we shall be embarking on our honeymoon,”

    “Honeymoon?” you asked, propping yourself up on one elbow to look at him properly.

    He smirked. “Honeymoon,” he confirmed. “I have it all planned out. Don’t fret, little Valkyrie,” he teased, knowing damn well you were asking for info on where you were going or how you were celebrating. At least, besides the obvious.

    “Mischievous Trickster,” you teased him and kissed him again. “ _My_ mischievous trickster,” you amended quickly.

    “For all of our days, my Valkyrie,” he replied warmly.

    Reluctantly, you got out of bed and dressed for the day. At least you didn’t have to dress in anything extravagant, a tunic and pants that you could travel in. Loki insisted your bags were packed for the trip and the hostlers were handling them. You huffed at your surprise-loving Trickster, but walked with him to breakfast, your arm on his, as per usual, in your proper place at his side. You kept stealing kisses as you walked and the people awwed over the adorable newlyweds.

    Your friends had somehow woken before you and were already at breakfast when you arrived. They cheered when you entered and you flushed at your silly friends. Nat jumped up to greet you. “Congratulations,” she told you again. You and Loki joined them at their table and they told you all about their adventures on Asgard. They had all loved visiting the golden city, seeing where you, Loki, and Thor had spent your lives until you went to Midgard. “Merry Christmas,” you bid everyone, knowing more of the tradition than everyone else.

    “Christmas on Asgard,” Tony mused dryly, amazed at the situation he found himself in. “By the way, J and I took tons of pics and videos of the wedding. I’ll have them for you when you get back,”

    “Thanks, Stark,” you told him brightly. It would be great to have actual wedding pictures and you were already making plans to bring home pictures with you the next time you came.

    Frigga and Thor joined your table when they arrived at breakfast, so did Sif and the Warriors Three. The group stiffened when the queen arrived, but were reassured quickly that breakfast was an informal affair and they relaxed into telling her stories of Midgard while the Asgardians shared stories as well. It was a wonderful breakfast among all of your friends.

    After breakfast, you said goodbye to the group. Thor would be heading back with them to Midgard and you and Loki were heading out for your honeymoon. You headed down to the stables as they were heading for the Bifrost. Loki walked with you to the stables where your horses were already saddled and waiting. Loki had his jet black stallion of course, one in a long line of nearly identical horses. You hadn’t gotten to properly pick out a new mount since your return from exile, but whoever had chosen the mare for you had done an excellent job.

    “Does she meet with you satisfaction?” Loki asked as you eyed the mare.

    “She’s perfect,” you replied, petting the nose of the sweet creature.

    “I’m glad. I hoped you would,” he told you warmly. You smirked. Of course he’d picked out the mount. You swung into the saddle easily and Loki did the same.

    “So, where are we heading?” you asked him as you made sure your weapons were within easy reach out of habit.

    He smirked and gestured. “This way,” he said warmly and clicked at his horse. You sighed, exasperated and clicked to your mare, kicking her lightly into action. He grinned at you. “Race ya to the bridge!” he called, just like he had so many times before.

    You grinned, settled your seat and urged the horse into a gallop, laughing at the wind in your hair and the joy of the old game. He won as he usually did. His horses were bred for speed, yours were chosen for their nature. You slowed at the bridge and continued at a much more sedate pace. You rode for hours, talking and playing silly games on horseback. You stopped in a little village at an inn for lunch. The poor innkeepers kept protesting that their fare wasn’t fit for royalty, but you and Loki both insisted that it was perfect and the simple meal was at that. You wandered the village, stretching your legs and letting the horses rest for a little while before you continued on your journey.

    It was a long ride later before you turned off the King’s Road on a side road and you knew the second you did exactly where you were going. Of course Loki couldn’t resist visiting the city of the Valkyrie, now that he was allowed there. He had been welcomed into the ranks, and while not an actual Valkyrie, the spouse of a Valkyrie was given privileges that not even Odin was given, including access to their city.

    Loki smirked when he saw that you knew where you were going. “It’s just the first stop on our tour of the kingdom,” he told you, promising that he wasn’t going to monopolize the honeymoon with learning everything about the Valkyrie he had been forbidden to know before yesterday.

    It wasn’t terribly much longer before you reached the city. The second you did, two of the servants came forward to take your horses. “Lady Valkyrie, your highness,” they greeted you as you dismounted. Here, you actually outranked Loki. He had no power here besides the few privileges that being married to you had given him. You stretched after you dismounted, sore from not being used to riding all day anymore, but after some stretches and a few steps, you were ok again.

    You took Loki’s hand to lead him through the gates. “Welcome to Valkyria,” you bid him brightly as you stepped through the gates into a place where few men had ever been allowed, and fewer still had dared to come. Your heart warmed at his awe filled expression at this forbidden place, at his joy at finally being able to see where you’d spent a year of your life.

    You would tell him about the trials.

    Later.

    For now you let him being in awe of the ancient castle in front of him, of the joy of a dream coming true. He’d wanted to know everything about the Valkyrie since he had been a small child and finally had the opportunity.

    You kissed him lightly, and his hand firmly held in yours, led him further inside to give him a proper tour.


	31. Chapter 31

    You spread your wings as you walked through the gates into Valkyria proper. Besides the servants, everyone here was a Valkyrie or a Valkyrie in training and they _all_ wore their wings all the time.

    “This way, we need to tell the Matron we’re here before anything else,” you told Loki. He nodded and let you take the lead. Of course you were taking the lead. You had spent a year of your life here and it had been a year of hell.

     _You remembered the first time you were here, the day after you turned 100. You were nervous at being here, nervous at the start of the trial, and nervous at being away from your family at court for the first time ever. Your mother was there for the year, but she couldn’t aid you during the trials. You had to face them alone._

    You shook off the memory of being a teen in this place and strode confidently in the front doors. “Lady Valkyrie,” the servants at the doors greeted you as you passed. You nodded to them in reply. They looked at Loki, who followed a step behind you and looked like they wanted to argue with him being here, but they knew, the entire kingdom knew you were married. “Lord Consort,” they finally greeted him, admitting him past them without you having to kick their asses for it. Loki had a right to be here.

    You turned and smirked at his indignant expression once you were inside the castle and away from those particular servants. “They called me ‘lord consort’,” he spluttered, whining indignantly.

    You laughed. “What’d you expect, Lohk?” you teased.

    He glared at your teasing. “My _usual_ title?” he suggested. “My name perhaps? It’s not like they don’t know who I am,” he grumbled, just making you laugh harder.

    “Loki, it’s tradition,” you told him. He huffed, but waited for you to continue. “The Valkyrie rule Valkyria, even your father has no power here. He’s not even allowed to step foot through the gates and he rules the entire realm. You’re _only_ allowed because you’re married to me,” you reminded him.

    “So it’s tradition that I lose my title?” he grumbled.

    You laughed. “No, it’s tradition that your only status here is as my husband. That’s why your title here is Lord Consort. They’re actually being respectful calling you ‘lord’, the only other husbands I’ve seen here have only been addressed as ‘husband’ or ‘consort’,” you explained to him.

    He sighed. “Your people are strange,” he finally told you, but seemed to have gotten over being upset at his lack of station here. “I dislike you outranking me,” he teased.

    You laughed and took his hand. “Now you know how I’ve felt my entire life, husband,” you teased him. He kissed your cheek with a grin.

    “Mmm, ‘husband’, I do so enjoy hearing that,” he told you with a warm purr and stole a kiss. You smiled warmly at him and kissed him back.

    You smiled and squeezed his hand. “C’mon, Lohk, let me show you the castle,” you told him and led him through the stone halls of the giant castle. It reminded you of Hogwarts in a way, at least every time you read Harry Potter you imagined the castle of Valkyria as Hogwarts.

    “I’ve been wanting to see this place since I learned about the trials and how you would have to face them alone,” Loki confessed. You nodded.

    “I know. I researched with you while we were children to find out what the trials entailed,” you reminded him. Neither of you could find out any more than that the trials were a year, and you would have to leave your best friend for an entire year with little chance to communicate with him. “You can know about them now,” you reminded him with a grin. You could see how much the additional delay was killing him, but he wanted to see this place too.

    You led him through the ancient halls, his hand in yours. The women in the corridors gave him strange looks, surprised to see a man in their midst. There weren’t many husbands who came here, even though they were allowed. You nodded to the servants, Valkyrie-in-training, and the lower ranking Valkyrie who bowed to you as you passed.

    “Why are they all bowing to you?” Loki asked you softly as you walked.

    You smiled at him. “The same reason everyone at the palace bows to you, silly prince. I outrank them all. You know that there are ranks among the Valkyrie, based on how we do during the trials, and our assignments after we pass the grand trial,” you reminded him. “I rank high among the Valkyrie,” you add with a smirk. You were one of the highest ranked Valkyrie and not just because of your assignment to Loki.

    You led Loki straight to the Matron’s office first. You had to let her know there was a guest in her castle. You were always welcome and always had rooms here, every Valkyrie did; every Valkyrie had a home here, as did any woman in the realm who needed sanctuary. Men however, were treated warily at best. You knocked on the Matron’s door. “Enter,” she called.

    You opened the door and stepped in, pulling Loki with you. “Matron,” you greeted her politely. “I have come home to visit and brought my husband with me,” you told her politely. You technically outranked her, but everything that went on here was her domain. She looked up from her desk and gestured you into the room.

    “Welcome home, Sister,” she greeted you warmly. She looked at Loki with a nod and a smirk. “Your highness, welcome to Valkyria. You are welcome here as Y/N’s husband, as is any spouse of a Valkyrie. I must warn you, however, that your station outside of Valkyria does not grant you any additional privileges inside our walls,” she warned him again. He would be kicked out if he broke their rules. That was the only privilege his rank got him. Others would be killed for breaking the rules.

    “I understand,” Loki replied graciously, especially considering that he was basically being threatened.

    The matron nodded. “Then I bid you enjoy your stay with us,” she told him kindly. She turned her attention back to you. “Your rooms are as you left them, the servants cleaned them and aired them out. I expected you would be bringing your husband here,” she added with a smirk. “He was always so curious about our ways,”

    You and Loki both laughed in reply. You took Loki’s hand and gave him a tour of the general castle, the great hall where the meals were served, training yards, classrooms, stables, and finally the sleeping quarters. You showed him to your rooms, where you’d be staying while you were here. The rooms were simple, not much more than the bed and desk. “Not the fanciest place for our honeymoon,” you teased.

    He chuckled and pulled you into his arms to kiss you. “Yes, this is part of our honeymoon, but we’re not here for riches and comfort,” he reminded you.

    You nodded. “We’re here so you can find out about the trials,” you told him. You went to your desk and pulled an ancient journal out of the drawer. “I had a feeling you would be here someday. I wasn’t allowed to let this leave the castle, but, I _was_ allowed to keep it here,” you handed the journal over to him.

    His eyes lit up. “This is-?” he opened it to see your careful writing filling the pages.

    “Every day of the year I was here taking the trials. Ok, I couldn’t write every day due to the nature of some of the trials, but that is an accounting of everything I went through to earn my position,” you told him. Your predictable Loki sat on your bed and began to read. You laughed and settled next to him on the bed.

    He looked up at you, concerned by something that kept getting said, but he hadn’t quite appreciated. “The Valkyrie are born Valkyrie,” he commented. You nodded. That’s why there were little toddlers running through the halls with wings, and only the Valkyrie had wings. “But you have to pass the trials to become a full Valkyrie...” he continued. You nodded again, wondering where he was going with this. “All those little girls have to take the trials?”

    You nodded a third time. “Every girl who is born a Valkyrie has to be trained and take the trials whether she wants to or not,” you told him softly, finally figuring out where this was going. You would still make him ask on this one.

    “And those who fail?” he asked softly.

    You looked away. “Every trial goer makes it to the grand trial, no matter how they do on the smaller trials. Those who don’t so well on the smaller trials do not tend to pass the grand trial,” you told him softly. It was every trainee’s nightmare for a very good reason.

    “And what happens if they fail the grand trial?” he pressed. He needed to know what the stakes had been.

    “They die,” you told him, looking into his eyes. You saw his horror when he realized just how high the stakes had been the year you were gone. Just what you had risked. If you had failed you wouldn’t have returned to court to be a court lady like he’d always thought.

    You would have died during the grand trial.

    His arms wrapped around you and he held you too tightly, his grip tightening even more when he realized that he may have lost you forever. “You told me goodbye,” he said softly, his voice pained. “The night before the grand trial started. You-”

_You’d met Loki through illusions throughout your year of trials and they were almost, almost finally over. “One more trial left,” you told him when you met him at the halfway point between the palace and Valkyria’s castle. Your illusions both sat by a little pond where you could talk and catch up. You’d been talking for awhile already that night, catching up on events at the palace and what you could tell him of your time in Valkyria._

_“It’s still a month before our birthday,” Loki told you, wondering how this could be the last trial. You couldn’t tell him what the trials consisted of, but you could tell him there was just one left._

_“This one’s the grand trial. It lasts a whole month,” you explained. You’d very carefully found out what exactly you could tell him. You sighed heavily. “Everything hinges on this trial,” you couldn’t tell him that your life was part of ‘everything’. “My whole future,”_

_He smiled reassuringly at you. “Kyrie-love, you’ve been training for this since you could walk. You’ll do just fine and then you can come home and get your assignment,” he flushed a little. “Technically the assignment should go to Thor, but... he’s already agreed to step aside, to give me the honor,”_

_“Of course he did, Lohk. He couldn’t stand having me shadow him for the rest of his life. He’d get annoying with me in five minutes,” you teased. Your body heard the belltower chime. “I have to get going,” you told him sadly. Neither of your illusions were strong enough yet to be corporeal. “I won’t be able to contact you again,” you told him softly._

_“I understand. This is important, little Valkyrie,” he told you warmly, so full of joy and excitement that you were almost done. He didn’t know, didn’t understand what was at stake._

_So you told him the only way you could._

_“Goodbye, my prince. No matter what happens through this trial, I will love you for all of my days,” you told him with tears in your eyes. Before he could answer, before he could demand information that you couldn’t give him, you let the illusion vanish._

    You nodded. “I told you goodbye. It was the best I could do,” you told him softly and held him tightly as well.

    “I didn’t - I didn’t know,” he told you horrified. “You could have died?” he asked, still disbelieving that _that_ was the possible outcome.

    You nodded. “If a Valkyrie doesn’t pass the grand trial she dies. There are no exceptions,”

    “I could have lost you and I didn’t even know!”


	32. Chapter 32

    You went to Loki and hugged him, pulling him tightly to you, standing in front of him while he sat on your bed. “I know, love. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. It was forbidden,” you reminded him. His arms wrapped around you and he held you too tightly.

    “I hate this. I hate that I could have lost you forever and I didn’t even know. No one knows. Would they even have told me?” he asked with tears in his eyes.

    You nodded and kissed the top of his head. “They would have told you it was a tragic accident of the trials,” you told him. “I think your parents are the only ones outside of the Valkyrie who know the truth of the trials,” you added.

    He pushed away from you enough to look up at you. “Why? Why do you have to go through this? Why the trials?” he demanded, horrified at the thought of all of those little girls who would have to undergo the trials.

     “Besides the scores determining our future, only those who survive the trials can handle being Valkyrie. You’ve seen how draining it is on _me_ to go to the land of the dead. Here’s a secret, princeling,” you added with a hint of teasing “I _earned_ my position at your side because of my scores during the trials. Even with our friendship, they _never_ would have assigned me that post had I not earned it fairly. I came out of the trials with top marks and you see how hard my job is for me. The thought is that those who don’t survive the grand trial could never survive being Valkyrie. I agree, though, that there should be an out for the girls who are ill-fitted to the life, but every girl born a Valkyrie has to go through the trials,” you explained.

    His arms tightened back around you. “Thank the Norns you made it through,” he told you.

    “I made it love. I passed with flying colors and earned my position at your side,” you reminded him. “It’s still light out, do you want to see the trial grounds and save that,” you gestured at the journal “for when you can’t sleep tonight?” you asked him. He nodded and set the book on your bed, jumping to his feet. You smirked at his excitement, but saw the haunted look in his eyes too. He was excited to get his curiosity sated, yes, but he also wanted to see what you’d gone through.

    “Of course I want to see the trial grounds,” he told you firmly. You smiled, kissed him, and took his hand to lead him downstairs. There was a hallway off the main corridor of the castle that led to the trial grounds. It was guarded by a Valkyrie keeping the Trainees from trying to sneak in to see what the trials contained. There was an entire wing of the castle along with fenced in training yards outside dedicated to the trials. You walked straight up to the Valkyrie on guard, Loki’s hand firmly in yours.

    She stood from her post automatically to block your entrance to the trial wing. She looked the pair of you over as you approached, holding a spear at her side, plenty enough intimidation to keep the Trainees from messing with her. She was ready to argue until she got a proper look at you as you flipped your wrist over to show her your tattoo and assignment mark, though it was unnecessary with your other hand in Loki’s. “Kyrie!” she exclaimed when she recognized you. “I haven’t see you since you completed your trial!”

    You went to her and hugged her. “I haven’t been back since,” you explained. “I received my assignment the very next day. And then married the loon,” you added and stuck your tongue out at Loki. “Lohk, this is Astrid, she was here as a trainee the year I took the trials,”

    “Everyone looked up to Kyrie. She’s a living legend. Her name is _still_ on top of all the record boards,” Astrid told Loki. “Showing husband the trial grounds?” she asked you after Loki had nodded his understanding of her words, pride in his smile at your achievements.

    You nodded. “It’s within my rights,” you reminded her.

    She nodded her agreement. “It is. I must remind you both that the secrets of the trials must remain among the Valkyrie. You may tell your Lord Consort of course, but you know what will happen if he spills our secrets, prince or no,” she reminded you.

    “Your warning is heard, Sister,” you reassured her firmly. You weren’t going to risk your life or Loki’s by letting him spill Valkyrie secrets. Not that he would. She stepped aside and let you pass.

    “What happens if a husband _does_ spill the secrets?” Loki asked unnecessarily as you stepped into the hallway.

    “They die, and in most cases take their Valkyrie with them,” you told him, also unnecessarily. He knew that already, he just wanted you to confirm it.

    You walked down the hallway, smiling at the names of all of the current Valkyrie in order of rank as you walked. Loki looked them over too. “Where are you?” he asked, indicating the names. You gestured to the end of the hall.

    “Down there,” you replied with a smirk. Nearly at the end of the short corridor you pointed out your name on the rank boards. “It’s actually out of order now. I don’t think there are technically any Valkyrie who outrank me since none are currently assigned to your parents or Thor, and we’re married now...” you mused as you looked over the couple of names who were past yours. One of them was the Matron, which wasn’t an insult because _here_ she outranked everyone, the head instructor, and heads of a couple other groups of Valkyrie also were above your name. “No, I guess this is right,” you mused further as you looked over the names. “They outrank me because they’re the head of the different Valkyrie groups,” you explained to the confused Loki. “The Matron, the head instructor, the Trial Mistress, the head of the Valkyrie at court, and the head of the field Valkyrie,” you explained, pointing to each. Loki nodded, drawing all the information in. On the opposite wall were the record boards showing the top three Valkyrie ever at each of the trials. Your name topped nearly every one of them.

    “Impressive, darling. I knew you were good, but...” Loki trailed off as he saw the evidence for himself of just _how_ good. You could feel how impressed he was with your achievements.

    “I trained my ass off for basically a hundred years. I started sooner and trained harder than anyone else so I could earn my position,” you reminded him. It was hard work that had earned you your position.

    “And no one can know how well you did...”

    You smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “They know, Lohk. They know by my station. And the Valkyrie know by the evidence here,” you gestured to the wall of ranks. “Every Trainee comes to this hall before the trials begin so she can look at the ranks, so she can look at the scores and know _exactly_ who she has to look up to and exactly whose skills she has to beat to end up on the boards herself,” you told him. “I came here the first time the day we left and my mother’s name was on most of the boards,” you explained. He whistled, even more impressed. Your mother was legend among the Asgardians for her skills. She had trained you and Loki both. You took Loki’s hand again. “Come on, princeling. Let me show you the trial grounds,”

    You led him through the door at the end of the hall of ranks into the trial grounds proper. “Trial Mistress,” you greeted the Valkyrie on the other side of the door. She nodded in greeting to you.

    “Kyrie, Lord Consort,” she greeted you in reply. “There are a few Trial goers currently in their trials. You are welcome to observe, but please do not interrupt,” she bid you. You nodded and led Loki into one of the trial rooms. There were lights outside each room indicating whether they were in use or not. This one was one of the first trials, an all-day archery competition. The girl inside looked exhausted; since it was nearly sunset she would have been here all day already.

    “The weapons trials are among the first,” you whispered to Loki so you couldn’t be heard by the girl. She looked so young, sixteen or so by Midgardian standards. You always forgot how young the trial goers actually were. A hundred years was too young.

    You left her and went further down the hall pointing out the rooms for the other weapons trials. The next one in use was the waterfall pool. “Poor girl,” you commented softly before you cracked the door open. The girl inside was standing under the waterfall in her underthings. “A test of determination,” you whispered, though there was no way for her to hear you. “The first day is hell. The second? After they let you leave and eat and get warm. The second day is the real test. And each day after. Doing nothing but standing under that freezing waterfall for a week from sunrise to sunset. No one was allowed to observe that trial of mine. It was bored out of my wits, but the cold didn’t bother me, though I turned blue and I wasn’t allowed to open my eyes to actually _see_ that for myself...” you grumbled, still pissed that your Jotun heritage had been hidden from you to protect Loki’s secret.

    “So how did you entertain yourself?” Loki asked as you closed the door behind you.

    “By reciting the stories of your grandfather to myself. Which came in handy for the history exam,” you added with a smirk. “There were exams on history, politics, interviews on diplomacy, any skill you had to learn, we did too and we had to be tested on our abilities in order to advise our charges. Some of those exams weren’t as important to the girls who weren’t aspiring to personal service,” you explained as you continued down the hall. “This one was one of the hardest trials. Another test of dedication, stamina, determination,” you explained as you opened the door. There were no girls inside, just the empty perch. Loki looked at you confused while you shuddered at the memory. “A week of no food, no water, standing on that perch without moving an inch. It was _hell_ , which is why it’s one of the last trials before the grand trial,” you explained.

    “That’s why you couldn’t contact me for a week,” he commented as he remembered too. He’d hated that you’d left him for a week. It had been an important week for him too. He’d had to run the mage’s council meetings alone, without Frigga there and without you at his side and he’d been terrified to do it.

    You nodded. “That’s why,” you agreed and shut the trial room’s door. You gestured to the room at the end of the hall. “Ready to find out what the grand trial entails?” you asked him. He nodded and took your hand to reassure you both that you were there and safe. You opened the big double doors and stepped inside. There was one girl kneeling in front of the altar in the small room, her dragonfang blade naked in her hand. Her eyes were closed and she the only movement was her breathing. One of the full-Valkyrie was in the room observing. “This is the grand trial,” you told Loki.

    “She’s-” he started, having seen you in the same state before.

    You nodded. “She’s in the land of the dead. The grand trial takes place entirely in the land of the dead. You have one month. One month to slay a hundred ghost-ghasts. One month to save as many lost souls as you can to lead them to their proper afterlives. You cannot return early. You either slay the hundred ghost-ghasts or...”

    “One of them kills you while you try,” he finished, understanding why those who fail the trials die. You’d told him all about the ghost-ghasts. He knew exactly how dangerous they were. “A _hundred_ of those foul things?”

    “Victory or Valhalla,” was all you answered. Was all you had to answer.


	33. Chapter 33

    “Victory or Valhalla,” he replied, horrified. He knew the grand trial was bad, but he hadn’t expected it to be _that_ bad.

    You nodded. “Every Trainee must take the grand trial,” you reminded him and his expression dropped.

    “Those ill-fitted, they’re killed by the ghasts,” Loki said softly.

    You nodded again. “Not just those ill-fitted. Accidents always happen. The grand trial is brutal, which is why it determines our future,” you stopped there, not needing to disturb him again with things that might’ve been. He didn’t need to be scared for events that had taken place over 900 years ago. “We should leave her to her trial,” you told him, gesturing to the girl at the altar. “Dinner should be served soon,” you added. The Valkyrie overseeing the girl’s trial nodded her agreement.

    You began to lead Loki from the hall of trials. “That Valkyrie is overseeing her trial, right? Surely she can help her if there’s danger?” he asked optimistically.

    You shook your head. “No, the trial is alone. Completely alone. She’s only standing guard to make sure no one disturbs the trial. Even if a trial goer meets a Valkyrie in the land of the dead during her trial, they won’t speak to her or acknowledge her presence in any way. There are ways around it, of course. They won’t acknowledge the girl, but they _will_ pay attention to anything she shows or tells them. There’s an... amulet... that all the trial goers carry which counts the number of ghasts the girl has killed as well as the number of days she has back. She shows it to any Valkyrie she meets so they can report on her progress to those worrying over her,” you explained as you led Loki to dinner.

    You smirked when you saw all the trainees fawning over your husband. You took your place among the Valkyrie, sitting by rank with Loki taking the seat to your left. “I know I’m attractive, but...” Loki started, staring at the young girls who couldn’t take their eyes off of him.

    You laughed. “I’ve told you before, Lohk. Almost every Valkyrie in training is trained here, not at the palace like I was. Most of them don’t leave the city until after the trials. With how few men ever appear here, they likely haven’t even _seen_ a man in real life before,” you teased him. He looked indignantly at you and nearly spluttered at being oogled at just because he was male and not because he was their prince. You laughed at his indignation. “You _really_ hate Valkyria,” you teased.

    “I really, really do,” he grumbled. “They tortured you here and the underage girls are staring at me, a married man, like a piece of meat,” he whined the last part.

    You laughed at him and kissed his cheek. “Poor princeling,” you teased him. Dinner was served. It wasn’t fancy, though your meals were nicer than the trainees. The braver of the trainees came up to him to practice their courtesies. You tried so hard not to laugh as he tried to be polite to them, but you could see it grating further and further on his temper. You finally told the trainees to leave Loki alone and reminded them that they had studies to attend to. They pouted, but couldn’t argue with you since you outranked them and rushed back to their duties and studies.

    “I could have done that,” Loki grumbled.

    You just smirked at him. “Anywhere but in Valkyria you could have,” you agreed. “Inside these walls you have no power. The Valkyrie are free here, even from the oaths to the throne, even from following your Father’s orders,”

    Loki gave you a look. “Why didn’t you come back here when Father exiled you?” he asked. “You could have hidden here in the city from his orders,”

    You shook your head. “Remember, love. Remember that day. Odin didn’t give me a chance to make it here. He practically dragged me from that alcove straight to the Bifrost and I was forbidden to return to Asgard. None of the secret portals between worlds come out in Valkyria. Believe me, I looked,” you reminded him. You had searched and searched for a way back to Valkyria where your orders didn’t matter, where you could find Loki again and tell him what happened, but you’d never been able to find a way here.

    *

    The second you got back to your room, Loki’s nose was in your journal, devouring every scrap of information of the trials you had written down all of those centuries ago. You laid down to sleep long before he was finished reading.

    You shouldn’t have been surprised when you had nightmares that night. You hadn’t thought of the trials in centuries, or at least had thought of them as little as possible, not as in depth as you had today when you had to explain them to Loki.

     _You stepped into the chamber for the grand trial as nervously as any trainee. You dragonfang blade was at your side. The Valkyrie in charge of the trial was waiting for you. “Are you ready to begin the grand trial, Daughter?” she asked you. Until you became a proper Valkyrie you were ‘daughter’ instead of ‘sister’ to the Valkyrie._

     _“I am,” you replied more bravely than you felt._

     _She handed you the amulet on its chain which you fastened around your neck. “Then kneel before the altar and let the trial begin. Victory or Valhalla, little one,”_

     _“Victory or Valhalla,” you repeated. Those words would be a mantra over the coming weeks and what you had to keep reminding yourself. As did every girl who took the trials. The brave went to Valhalla. Those who died in glorious battle. If you died, it would be a glorious death. You would not mourn your death, but rejoice for you would enter the halls of Valhalla where the brave lived forever._

     _You were brave and would bravely fight the ghasts._

     _You would bravely die if that is what happened on your quest for Victory._

     _You did as she said, kneeling before the altar and drawing your blade, laying it naked across your thighs. You closed your eyes, concentrating and took one breath, then another before you stood out of your body, in the land of the dead. Your time had started, your quest had begun. You had a plan for how to tackle this challenge and were determined to stick to it. So you left the beaten path, the usual ways the Valkyrie led their charges to the different afterlives. The ghasts would be fewer there and it would take longer to find the hundred you needed to kill. You planned on killing the ghasts as quickly as possible, so you left the path and entered the wilds of the afterlife._

     _You ran into the first ghost just off the path and struck it down before it even had a chance to attack you. There was a method to your plan. Off the path, the ghasts were not only more plentiful, but were less expecting attacks. On the main path, they expected the Valkyrie to defend their charges. The further you got away from the paths, the less wary and ready to attack. They were just as vicious and brutal, but less wary. Any advantage against these creatures was needed._

     _The strain on your body to have your soul gone for so long was intense._

     _It hurt and you felt like it was going to pull you apart_

     _But it was all part of the trial._

     _You cleared the hundred ghasts within a week, thanks to the couple of nests of them you’d found which had been brutal fights, but you’d taken out thirty of them in each nest. Very few Valkyrie would dare take on one nest, let alone two, but you had. You were determined to earn your place at Loki’s side and you knew you were skilled enough to take them. You were also confident, not cocky, and you fought with both magic and steel. You were determined to get a high score, to get out of this with your position at Loki’s side. You’d worked for it all of your life, but you had to earn it here and now._

     _So you slew the hundred ghasts in record time._

     _That was what was really scored during the trial, not how many souls you saved, but how quickly you slew the hundred ghasts. You killed them as quickly as you could, so you could win the position your heart desired._

     _After you slew them, you could focus on saving the souls. There were girls who made the mistake of searching out lost souls first, even though that wasn’t what they were being graded on. Their hearts got in the way. It was admirable, but they tended to be the ones who weren’t fighting for position. There were also girls who made the mistake of getting too tied up in saving souls that they neglected to kill the hundred ghasts in time._

     _What happened to them was even worse than what happened to the girls the ghasts killed. There was a limit to how long a Valkyrie’s body could survive without her soul. The limit was 31 days. The trial lasted 30. If the trial goer did not complete the trial in time, her soul and body could not reconnect and both would slowly die. Most of the girls who got to that situation found a nest to ghasts to fight to try to finish the challenge in time._

     _Victory or Valhalla indeed._

     _After the first week, you spent your remaining weeks ushering the dead to the afterlives. You passed quite a few Valkyrie in that time and always stopped to show them your amulet. Per tradition, they didn’t speak to you, but you saw the pride in their eyes. You were the pride of the Valkyries and you’d passed the trials, as long as you made it through the next weeks without an awful accident happening._

     _On the 30th day you were free to return home. You returned to your body the second the number on your amulet turned to 30. You were met with cheers of congratulations at making the high score. Draped between your mother and the training mistress, you were led to your room to recover from the trials before you went home the next day to swear your oaths._


	34. Chapter 34

_You woke the day after your trial before dawn and had one thing to do before you could head home. There was a small room in the hall of the trials and you and your mother went there at first light. The Trial Mistress was waiting for you there._

_“You have passed your trials with flying colors,” she told you proudly and you couldn’t help beaming in pride. “Welcome to the ranks of the Valkyrie, Y/N, daughter of Sigun. Let us make it official,” she told you and opened the door to the small room and the tattoo artist inside. The mark of the Valkyrie was inscribed on your wrist in ink as well as the spell of assignment, etched in magic. The mark of assignment was blank and would remain so until the ceremony that evening, but the marks there there and so they would remain for all of your days._

_You were officially a full Valkyrie with all the rights and rank that entailed._

_After that was taken care of, you headed straight to the stables with your mother to ride back to the palace. Conversation was sparse. You wanted to get back to the palace, back to Loki. You missed him terribly after your year apart; before this you’d barely spent as much time without him as it took to sleep._

_You were nervous the entire trip back to the palace, anxiety and fear convincing you that you weren’t going to get the assignment you so desperately wanted. Anxiety made no sense when you had literally broken every single trial record, including the record for the grand trial. There was no way you weren’t getting whatever position you wanted, though no one bothered to ask. They all knew that you wanted to be assigned to Loki._

_You prayed you would be assigned to Loki instead of your services being claimed by one of the other members of the royal family. That was your real concern. Any of them could claim the services of you and Loki couldn’t fight their claim._

_So you fretted and worried the entire trip home and rode your horses as fast as you dared. “You’ll be assigned to Prince Loki, daughter,” your mother tried to reassure you when you stopped for lunch. You wouldn’t have stopped even this long, but you had to for the horses sake. You were pushing them hard to make it to the palace to prepare for the ceremony that evening. Most of the other Valkyrie took a few days to make their appearance before Odin to determine their futures. You were being assigned as soon as possible._

_You rode hard to make it to the palace as quickly as possible. There was a lot of work to do when you made it back to the palace._

_*_

_A long ride later and you finally made it to the palace stables where the hostlers took your horses. You were disappointed when Loki wasn’t waiting there for you. You’d expected him to be here the second you got home._

_He wasn’t here._

_You didn’t have time to worry as you were swept into preparations for the ceremony the second you dismounted. You were fitted for a formal uniform first._

_You_ _had your hair cut and styled for the first time in ages. Your maids had their work cut out for them. They had to make you presentable for court after a year of trials. It wasn’t easy on them either, especially the day after the grand trial without any recovery time. They hid the bags under your eyes with makeup, braided your hair elegantly, and brushed out and cleaned your wings. Your new armor was delivered and for the first time you dressed in your white formal uniform._

_You couldn’t help staring at yourself in the mirror. You hadn’t thought anything would change, but you looked the part of a full Valkyrie, decked out in your formal finery. You couldn’t believe you had finally done it. You finally looked the part of a real Valkyrie. You finally were one._

_Or you would be soon. It would be completely official when you received your assignment._

_It came to your attention when you were standing in front of your mirror that Loki still hadn’t come to see you. He had to have heard by now that you were home. You wondered what in the nine realms was keeping him away._

_And then it was too late to worry about it. Your mother walked with you to the throne room, but she had to leave you at the door. This was the actual last trial. You were a full Valkyrie and had to present yourself to Odin._

_The guards opened the double-doors to the throne room to admit you and you strode confidently up to the throne. It was easy to ignore the crowd around you. You were on a mission, and you were used to being stared at by the court regardless._

_Odin was standing at the steps leading up to the throne, Frigga beside him. Their sons on either side. Loki was here, and he was smiling with pride. He’d waited to see you until your official proclamation as a Valkyrie of Asgard. Until your assignment. You didn’t know if he hadn’t been allowed to come see you before, but even though you knew he’d be here, it warmed your heart that he was. You noted the entire royal family was in the formal best, Loki was even wearing his horned helmet for the occasion._

_So you strode forward until you were the prescribed distance from the king. You dropped gracefully to one knee, your wings furled gracefully and beautifully behind you. You extended both of your arms, holding your dragonfang blade in offering to Odin. You kept your head bowed and recited the words you had memorized for this moment. You kept your eyes down as you recited them, not daring to look at Loki who you prayed you would be assigned to._

_“I am Y/N, a Valkyrie of Asgard, daughter of the famed Valkyrie Sigun. I have trained in the palace of the golden city and have passed the grand trial in the land of Valhalla. I am ready to accept my duty. I offer my services to the throne of Asgard,” the words fell off of your lips as you had practiced reciting them hundreds of times before._

_“The throne of Asgard applauds your achievements and welcomes your service, Lady Valkyrie,” Odin told you, reciting the correct response as he’d done for hundreds of Valkyrie before you. He paused and your heart sped it’s beating. This was the part you’d been waiting for, the official announcement of your assignment. “Your accomplishments and standing have earned you the assignment of personal service to Loki, your prince. Will you accept this honor and this duty, Lady Valkyrie?” Odin asked the words and you nearly jumped for joy and sighed in relief at the same time. I was only long practice of controlling your emotions that kept you from doing either._

_Instead you gave the proscribed reply. “I accept my duty,” you intoned, loudly enough to be heard from the crowd._

_“Then swear your oaths to my son,” Odin bid you. You glanced up as he stepped aside and Loki took his place. You saw the warmth in Loki’s eyes and couldn’t help smiling in return. He wanted this as much as you had, wanted you by his side._

_You looked up into his eyes as you spoke again, your words loud enough to be heard by the court, but spoken just for him.“To my prince goes my faith and my honor. To his blood goes my blade, my shield, and my fist, ever to defend him and his kin. To him I swear my loyalty. On my honor, I swear to be his guide, to be the light in the darkness, his sword, his shield, and protection. I swear my life ever before his. So I swear from this day until my final breath,” you recited the words, looking directly into Loki’s eyes. If you looked at him you could ignore the others watching. Though, you were so proud of passing the trials and getting the assignment you had so desperately wanted that you barely noticed anyone else._

_You turned your blade, drawing it across the palm of your hand before you laid it at Loki’s feet. Blood sealed the oath. Loki knelt, and took your blade in one hand. He took both of your hands carefully and stood, bringing you with him. He used your blade to made a cut across his own palm. He handed your blade back to you and you vanished it, to clean and resheathe later, and took your bleeding hand with his, your blood mixing together._

_“I accept your oath and your service, Lady Valkyrie, and swear in return to cherish your company, heed your advice, care for your well being. I swear to you my loyalty and my trust, for this day and for every day to come,” he spoke the reply, his eyes only for you. He flipped your hand over and summoned a handkerchief to bind the wound on your hand with. He had already used magic to heal the cut on his, but him binding your hand was part of the ceremony, part of the whole ‘caring for your well being’ part of the oaths. He lifted your arm and bowed over it, placing his lips against the currently blank assignment mark on your wrist. It flashed with power as his sigil etched itself in magic on your skin._

_You couldn’t be happier in that moment._

_In that instant you had everything you’d ever wanted_


	35. Chapter 35

    You woke wrapped in Loki’s arms. He’d been up reading most of the night, you could tell. He still had the book in his hands. Your Loki read fast, you knew, so you wondered just how many times he’d read your accounting of your trials that night. “Pleasant dreams, Kyrie-love?” he asked you with a smirk as you woke.

    “I take it you saw them?” you huffed a reply as you sat up. He only had that particular combination of combination of question and smirk when the annoying telepath saw your dreams. He never pried unless invited, since he was a gentleman, but things always slipped through when someone was dreaming.

    “Only pieces,” he reassured you. “And only what you were projecting.” His arms wrapped tighter around you. “And if I _ever_ catch you taking on a nest of ghasts again, I will kill you myself,” he growled protectively. Apparently he’d seen the pieces of your trial. Oops.

    You leaned up and kissed him softly. “I love you too,” you told him warmly, knowing he was only worried. Which was silly of him since the events you had dreamed of were 900 years in the past.

    His arms tightened around you. “I _told_ you to be careful during your trials. That didn’t include taking on nests of ghasts!” he fretted. “You could have died!”

    “I know I could have and had I not completed the the trial I _would_ have died and had I not completed it with top marks I wouldn’t have been assigned to you and we wouldn’t be here now,” you told him logically. Though logic and Loki’s worry didn’t always exist in the same realm at the same time. “I survived, Loki. I survived, earned top marks, and earned my place at your side. The day I swore my oaths was one of the happiest in my life and I wouldn’t have traded that,” you told him.

    He kissed the top of your head. “I felt it,” he told you warmly.

    “Damn dream-walker,” you teased and leaned up to kiss him.

    “I hate that you went through that. I hate that you could have died,” he told you and held you tighter.

    “I know, Lohk, but it’s in the past now. We’re together and married and can be happy now,” you reminded him. He finally relaxed and kissed the top of your head.

    *

    You left Valkyria later that morning and spent the next two weeks exploring various locations in Asgard and on Midgard. You saw the sights everywhere, and besides your stay in Valkyria stayed in the best inns and hotels and enjoyed seeing the sites of your homes. You were treated like royalty the entire honeymoon. It was going to take you a long time to finally accept that you _were_ royalty now. Asgard was always your home and you visited all the places you’d missed while you’d been exiled. Midgard had been your home for centuries and Loki had picked excellent places for you to explore and show off what you remembered to him.

    The press followed you on your world tour of Midgard. At least they tried and kept picking you up wherever you reappeared. Loki had been to Midgard before and enjoyed revisiting Norwary especially. He’d missed the vikings.

    It was a whirlwind of an adventure and you enjoyed every minute of it. It was a perfect honeymoon after a perfect surprise wedding.

    *

    You finally made it back to the tower after your two weeks of adventuring and honeymooning. There was of course a huge party in your honor courtesy of Stark the night you got home. It seemed like the entire city had invaded the ballroom on the second floor of the tower. You had a feeling it was more for Stark and the Avengers than necessarily for you and Loki, but they all wanted to see you and your wings, so you were at least popular. It was strange being back among the mortals, though, after spending time in Asgard and two weeks in mostly just Loki’s company. You had to be careful again about not letting the mortals touch you. At least it was still winter so you could wear long sleeves without issue. You danced the night away with your Loki to the cheers of the crowd. They loved seeing the two of you dance.

    Everyone congratulated you and you got to see all the wonderful pictures from your wedding. Stark had them digitized and printed. You spent an entire day going through them, making albums, and picking out your favorites. There were a lot of top contenders, including the shot of Loki getting slapped on the ass with one of the Valkyrie’s swords. Really, all of the pictures were fantastic and you thanked Tony for doing that for you.

    He had also redesigned your floor into a giant apartment for the pair of you. Seriously, you had the entire floor of the tower to yourselves, plus had an entryway off the elevator so you could feasibly lock Thor out. As if that would actually work, but you theoretically could. It was a full apartment, so you never really had to leave to go see the rest of the team, but you would still spend most of your free time in the common room. It was still wonderful to have the option of your own space. Especially since Tony had moved your Valkyrie bed into one of the guest rooms of your apartment. It warmed your heart that they all accepted that you had different needs because of your usual accompaniment of your wings. They also accepted that they couldn’t touch you and there hadn’t been any near accidents in months.

    *

    A few weeks after you returned to the tower Cap called you and Loki down to the common room to talk to you about upcoming missions. “You two make an excellent team and have such complimentary abilities and fighting styles,” he started after you’d sat down. That was an understatement. You fought well together and while your powers and abilities were nearly identical, it worked because you could also speak telepathically and knew each other so well. You sipped on your tea, though and let him continue. “Shield thinks you’re ready for missions on your own as partners, but Fury is insisting that we call come in for assessments before that happens,” he added. You and Loki both rolled your eyes.

    “Assessments?” you growled. “I passed the Valkyrie trials at a hundred. I’m over 900 years old now. What other assessments could he possibly have?” You’d been able to tell the Avengers the basics of the Valkyrie trials, if not the details, so they at least had an idea of what you’d been through to earn your position.

    “It’s the rules. The government stays off our backs and leaves us be as long as we submit ourselves for assessments on our physical and mental health once a year so they can prove we’re not all psycho,” Stark jumped in.

    You rolled your eyes harder. “We _are_ all psycho,” you grumbled.

    “They don’t need to know that,” Nat told you conspiratorially, looking up from where she was sitting on the floor at the coffee table cleaning her weapons. Clint was across the table from her cleaning his and polishing his arrows.

    Loki sighed next to you, reading what wasn’t being said. This wasn’t just an audition for a higher ranked position. This was an official evaluation that was much more important and might determine if either of you could stay with the team. You had both kinda been on probation... “We have no choice do we?” Loki asked cautiously, sensing that there was more to this assessment than Cap was making it sound.

    “Nope,” Clint replied jovially. It was of no concern to him. “It’s not that bad,” he added. Of course he’d been through it before.

    “We leave first thing in the morning,” Cap told you firmly, leaving no room for arguments..

    You huffed and curled up with Loki on the couch. “Fine, if we must...”


	36. Chapter 36

    So bright and early the next morning you joined the rest of the team on the roof to board the jet. You didn’t trust the shield agents to not try to touch you, so you were wearing one of Loki’s hoodies over your t-shirt, and thin gloves. You didn’t need either of those things because of the cold, but just to keep people from touching your bare skin. “Kyrie-love, the mortals know not to touch you,” Loki told you gently as you walked onto the jet, your hand in his.

    “I know... but I don’t like taking chances with the mortals,” you reminded him. The only one you’d touched since you’d lived with the team had been Nat and that was to save her life. She’d still been severely frost bitten by the experience, but it was better than being dead.

    “Darling, trust me, I am not going to let the mortals touch you. I will protect you, my love. I dislike you having to hide,” he lifted your gloved hand and kissed the back of it.

    You sighed. “Alright, I’ll ditch the gloves,” you conceded, Loki wouldn’t give up until you’d at least given him that much. So you vanished your gloves and Loki lit up when he was touching your bare skin again. You weren’t ditching more than your gloves though, and Loki’s hoodie went down to your fingertips, so it was safe enough without them. Or so you kept trying to tell yourself.

    This whole thing was pointless and ridiculous anyway, which seemed to be the consensus of the team. None of them were particularly happy this morning and Tony only had any patience whatsoever because of the extra strong coffee that was brewed this morning. No one wanted to go through these assessments.

    Especially you and Loki.

    You got seats on the jet and curled up with Loki. At least you weren’t afraid to fly, though you preferred to do so on your own power. It was too far, but if the jet went down, you and Loki would survive. You because you could fly and Loki because you could carry him while you did so.

    Thankfully the flight wasn’t long. Loki didn’t like flying. He wasn’t afraid of it, but didn’t much care for it either. He couldn’t fly and teleporting while falling wasn’t something he was proficient at. So he didn’t care for flying since he couldn’t control negative outcomes if the pathetic Midgardian technology failed. So it was quite a relief for everyone that the trip wasn’t long. No one liked Loki on edge and even you could only keep him so calm.

    But he wasn’t afraid of flying.

    Not at all.

    No one dared question him on that.

    He’d already gotten stabby with Thor and you really didn’t feel like having to heal the mortals. It was harder when you couldn’t touch them, besides healing wasn’t your specialty. So you were all grateful when the jet landed.

    Nat led the way off the jet and into the helicarrier. She pointed out areas of interest as you walked past, such as the bridge, the dorm-like rooms where you’d be spending the night as well as its little common area, the mess hall for the agents, Stark and Banner’s lab, and of course the training rooms.

    There was a giant training area where you all were spending your day. And it was going to be awful. They had psychologists to evaluate your mental health, which was ridiculous, even Loki could pass that on a bad day, just because you goaded him into behaving so you didn’t get thrown out of the tower. He was being on his best behavior. And only stabbed Thor once. Really, that was good for a day when people were questioning the sanity of everyone on the team.

    You were saved from a physical exam with more reminders that you couldn’t be touched. The only bright spot to the entire day was showcasing your combat skills. You beat up a ton of their agents as a warmup, then went through the practice drills with Loki. Every single person on the boat who wasn’t currently doing something actually useful stood around the ring and watched you and Loki speed your way through the drills. It was a glorious dance and you enjoyed every single time you practiced them with Loki. It seemed like they couldn’t believe the videos of your skills and speed until they saw the skills in person. So you ran through the drills for them with your deadly speed and accuracy with live blades. And you were barely breathing harder than usual by the end.

    The assessments were finally done and you all went to the mess to get dinner. You and Loki both rolled your eyes at having to socialize with the stupid mortals, but they were all praising your performance of the drills, so you couldn’t fault them _too_ hard for being annoying mortals. Especially when it made Loki preen under the praise. It just made you uncomfortable and hide your hands in your sleeves. Loki’s arm was around you in the crowded room and glared at everyone to keep their distance.

    Then someone made the mistake of challenging the Avengers to poker. That was dumb. Even with you and Loki both promising not to use your magic, you trounced them all. Nat and Tony were both stupidly good at the game, and you were all too smart for your own good. You’d racked up quite a bit of cash before Fury put an end to the game.

    Loki had been having fun, and got his retaliation by vanishing all of the coffee in the place. He also timed its disappearance so he couldn’t be directly blamed for its disappearance. He was _trying_ to be on his best behavior, especially as you were all still being evaluated and you knew what was at stake if you failed.

    Really, there was only one incident, when someone under the influence of too much alcohol during the drinking contest came too close to touching you. He was lucky he only got a broken nose for the crime of insulting Loki’s wife. Everyone else agreed on that front. Especially when the rules had been cleared up front that you weren’t to be touched.

    Fury broke up the drinking contest too and told everyone to go to bed before they all got alcohol poisoning. The Avengers were all laughing as you found your rooms. You’d survived the assessments. The official results would come out during your interviews with Fury in the morning.

    You and Loki were the only ones nervous about that.

    You didn’t sleep that night, illogically worried over how you did on the assessments. You had survived the Valkyrie trials. You shouldn’t have to worry about what shield dished up. But they were evaluating your psyche too and what if they didn’t like what you said or how you acted? Especially since they knew your first loyalty was to the throne of Asgard and more specifically Loki. They also knew that you were the best leash on Loki’s temper and homicidal tendencies.

    You sat in the waiting area outside Fury’s office the next morning as one by one the rest of the team went in to receive the results of their evaluations. You were last on the list and waiting was killing you. You wished desperately that he would just get it over with, but _no_ you had to wait until the very end to find out if you could stay with the team.

    You didn't know what you would do if he insisted on sending you away.

    Yes, you did. He would sent you to the raft.

    Or back to Asgard.

    Which wasn’t an option.

    You’d kill every single person on this boat to not be separated from your husband if that’s what it took.

    And not shed a single tear for them.

    Finally, you were called in after Loki. “Have a seat, Valkyrie,” Fury told you gesturing to the empty chair on the other side of his desk. You took your seat. “You know you’re with the team on probation, right?” he started.

    You gave him a hard look. “I know,” you replied stiffly. You weren’t sure you liked Fury. His secrets had secrets and you couldn’t be sure of his motives. “I also know that it would be a stupid-ass decision for you to try to remove me from the tower. Not only would my husband be upset with that plan, and absolutely no one on this realm wants that, but so would his brother and the rest of the team. I’ve done nothing but help since I’ve joined the Avengers-”

    Fury cut you off mid rant “Your first loyalty is to your husband,” he reminded you. “Your second is to Thor, then the crown of Asgard...”

    You shrugged. “Any good wife and any citizen of Asgard would have the same loyalties. My primary loyalty and duty being to the throne of Asgard doesn’t hurt Midgard in any way, shape, or form. Midgard is under the protection of Asgard. As to my husband, separating me from him would be ridiculously stupid and he has to stay here whether you like it or not,” you informed him. Odin was still making Loki stay for penance. “Do you really want to send the best leash on his temper away?”

    “No. I don’t. I was simply going to tell you that you passed the assessments, just like the rest of the team and you’re no longer on probation,” Fury explained when you stopped talking again.

    You nodded and relief flooded through you. You didn’t pay attention to any of the rest of what Fury had to say. It didn’t matter as long as he wasn’t trying to separate you from Loki again.


	37. Chapter 37

After you passed the stupid assessments for Fury things went back to normal at the tower, or as normal as life at the tower ever went. You went out on missions with the team and spent the rest of the time with your husband. You slowly started going out on missions alone with Loki. Cap was right that you two were a good pair for them and you wouldn’t forget the looks on the bad guys’ faces when they saw the Angel of Death and Loki of Asgard coming to take care of them. Usually they just fled when you showed up. It _really_ freaked them out when they saw the shadow of you flying above them and their screams were so delightful when you caught them to deliver them to shield.

“Hey, smurfs, Cap has a mission for you,” Stark greeted you when you came down for breakfast one morning. You and Loki both rolled your eyes at Stark’s stupid nickname. At least it was better than the Bobbsey twins.

“This better not be a trick to keep Loki from pancakes,” you told Stark as it was pancake morning and Loki was obsessed with his pancakes.

Stark huffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s not. Cap really does have a mission for you,”

You nodded and took Loki’s hand to walk with him to the office space on the main floor where Cap would be if he really did have a mission for the pair of you. “Hey Loki, Kyrie,” he greeted you, looking up from the stack of papers in front of him.

“Hey Cap,” you replied with a smile. You’d gotten comfortable with the team in the last few months. They’d come to really like both you and Loki, especially since your wedding. They’d forgiven him for the alien invasion, finally accepting that it was mind control and not his fault. “Stark said you have a mission for us?” you asked him.

He nodded. “I do. It shouldn’t be too difficult. We got word there’s a group of Hydra agents setting up shop in an old warehouse downtown. Can you two check it out? Discreetly? We’ll all go clear them out if there’s something shady going on,”

You nodded and spoke up for the two of you. Loki still tended to be more reserved around the others and usually let you speak up for the pair of you instead of doing so himself. He still didn’t quite trust that the others accepted him. He was always so observant about everyone but himself. “As long as we can go after I feed this loon his pancakes. He gets grumpy if he doesn’t get his pancakes on pancake morning,” you teased. Annoying your husband was fun. For you anyway.

“Kyrie~” Loki whined. He didn’t appreciate when you teased him so much in front of the others. If you weren’t careful he’d retaliate. He could be mean when he retaliated, so you were still careful not to annoy him _too_ far.

“What, Lohk?” you asked innocently. He huffed and stuck his tongue out at you. You were both over a thousand years old and such mature married adults. Yep, so very mature.

Cap chuckled. “Yes, you can head out after breakfast. I sent the address to your phone,” he added. You nodded and took Loki’s hand to lead him to breakfast. He was easily mollified for your teasing with the generous application of way too many pancakes.

You both donned your armor before you left the tower and teleported right outside the warehouse in question, both hidden under an invisibility spell. There was a reason Cap had sent the two of you for recon. You were the best options to spy on humans without being seen. You slipped silently into the warehouse.

/Looks empty/ you told Loki telepathically. You usually didn’t have much need to use your telepathy skills, but it was vital on missions where you were invisible and trying not to be noticed.

/So it does. I dislike it. It doesn’t feel right/ Loki replied and you felt him draw a dagger. You drew one as well and made sure your dragonfang blade was loose in its sheath. You explored the main level of the warehouse without finding anything out of the ordinary. But it still felt wrong. It felt inhabited, though there was nothing in the whole warehouse until.

You pointed to a bookshelf. You could feel the air current coming through it and knew the tell-tale signs of a secret door. You and Loki searched and he pulled the book that opened the secret door and you walked through. You insisted on taking lead and Loki knew better than to argue with you.

You were his Valkyrie. It was your job to make sure the room was clear for your charge. You had to defend him from threats. The room was a large room with a bank of computers at the far wall. It appeared to be empty so you stepped inside and made your way toward the computers.

A lot of things happened all at once while you and Loki made your way across the room, even invisible.

The bank of computers all turned on.

Some kind of powder came falling from the ceiling and clung to you, despite that you tried to shake it off. You were outlined in white powder. So was Loki and the stuff clung to everything in the room.

Doors opened from every direction and guns pointed in, firing in the same instant.

Except it wasn’t guns

It was tasers

And you were both on the ground writhing in agony moments later, invisibility spells broken.

You fought.

You fought hard and managed to keep your feet for an instant longer than Loki had.

Loki!

Your Loki who was terrified of storms!

You had to save him from the lightning.

He was afraid.

You had to save him.

Your body twitched and spasmed around you and you were filled with pain and rage.

You tried to desperately to move, to help your Loki.

He needed you.

Your charge was in pain and needed you.

And you couldn’t

Fucking

Move

Men swarmed in, wearing rubber gloves and lifted Loki so he was kneeling across from you. They hauled you to your feet, disarming you before they turned the electricity off.

The problem was that they had a gun held against Loki’s head.

You stiffened, unwilling to risk Loki’s life. You couldn’t move even that short distance before they fired the gun. And somehow your magic wasn’t working. You didn’t know how or why.

“You are going to do exactly what we tell you and we let your husband live,” a male voice told you from one of the computer screens.

It was the one leash they could have on you: Loki’s safety. You were duty and honor bound to do anything and everything in your power to save your charge.

Loki tried to signal you to stop, to not agree, to run and leave him behind.

You gave him a firm look. You recited that piece of your oath. You swore to protect his life above your own with those words all those centuries ago and you wouldn’t go back on your word now:

“My life ever before yours,”


	38. Chapter 38

You raised your hands in surrender and turned toward the computer monitors. You kept Loki in your sight, but you were outmaneuvered right this moment. You needed to buy some time and figure out how to get the gun off of Loki’s head and the electrical lines off of both of you. Especially Loki. Your Loki was afraid of storms, afraid of lightning. He couldn’t stand being electrocuted. He couldn’t move as the gun was pressed to the side of his head.

You had to play along. For now. To keep your charge safe.

Your life ever before his.

You would do whatever you had to to get your husband out of here safely.

Anything.

“What do you want from me?” you demanded of the male voice that had come from the computer monitor as you slowly lowered your hands. There were still electrodes attached to you too, you weren’t getting out of this easily without doing what they wanted. So you had to see what they wanted.

And you knew it wouldn’t be good. Not if they were going to such lengths to get you to cooperate. Threatening your husband was going to far and you were going to kill them all as soon as you got the opportunity.

You just needed an opportunity.

Loki didn’t dare move, remaining kneeling on the floor with the gun against his head, though you could see the pleading in his eyes for you to flee, to leave him here. You were never going to do that. Ever.

“You, my dear, are going to bring someone back from the dead for us,” the man’s voice said from the computer monitors.

Shit. Fuck. Damn.

“I can’t do that,” you told him. You really couldn’t do that. You had been lucky to be able to bring Nat back. It had to be someone newly dead, like killed in front of you dead. You knew instinctively that that wasn’t the case in this situation.

You jumped when they shocked Loki again and he cried out in pain.

“No! Stop! I really can’t!” you pleaded with tears in your eyes. You charge, your Loki, you _husband_ was in pain and there was nothing you could do to stop it. “Please!” you begged. The electricity stopped and Loki panted as he tried to breathe through the pain.

“You have brought people back before,” the voice told you.

“Yes, I have. But only those newly dead,” you protested. “Only those who have died before my eyes,”

“Very well, if you refuse... kill him!”

“NO!” you shrieked as the gun cocked, as electricity flowed through your Loki. As he cried out in pain. “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” you gave in. You had to give in. You had to save him.

No matter the price.

You had to save him.

You had to.

You _had_ to!

“I knew you would see reason,” the voice from the computers said as they stopped torturing your Loki again. He whimpered in pain and you could see how hard he was breathing. His form was shimmering. He was in so much pain and with so many electrical burns that he was having trouble holding on to his Aesir form. “Bring in the body,” the voice ordered.

A casket was rolled in while you are helpless to move or risk hurting Loki. All you wanted to do was run over to him and heal his wounds. Instead, you were dragged over to the casket, though you turned so you could keep Loki in your line of sight.

“Kyrie! No!” Loki yelled as the casket was opened. He yelped when he was hit with the butt of a gun. “You can’t! You’ll die!” he protested, ignoring the men around him. He knew your limits as well as you did.

“My life ever before yours,” you told him softly before you looked into the casket. That shut him up, but only would for a while. You could practically hear the gears in his head turning trying to figure out a way out of this for both of you before you had to do something that would kill you. The problem was, there wasn’t time. They would kill him if you didn’t hurry and get to bringing this person back from the dead.

The body was old, the man was obviously not entirely human, but the body was perfectly preserved. Someone had gone through a lot of effort to keep him preserved without decay. You recognized him, too. It was hard not to when his skin was entirely red and he had no nose. You didn’t remember his real name at the moment. It wasn’t important. You _did_ know his alias. It was Red Skull, effectively the creator of Hydra, and he’d been dead since before Cap went into the ice. He’d been dead for 70 years. He was also evil. But more importantly he’d been dead for 70 years.

They wanted you to bring back someone who had been dead for 70 years.

You couldn’t bring back someone who’d been dead a day.

You could barely bring back someone who’d been dead an hour.

You had no choice.

“I need my sword,” you told the agents. “I can’t bring him back without it,” you weren’t entirely sure you could bring him back _with_ it, but you had to try for Loki’s sake. One of the men handed you your dragonfang blade back. You looked up from the body and locked eyes with Loki. “I’m sorry, my prince, my husband, my charge, my best friend, my Loki. I’m sorry, but there’s no choice,” you told him softly.

“Kyrie! NO! Don’t! You can’t! You’ll die!” Loki protested, ignoring the guards shaking him and telling him to be quiet.

“My life ever before yours, my husband. I love you,” there were tears in your eyes at Loki’s roar of anguish at what you were willing to give up to save him. A single tear fell before you turned your attention to the task at hand. There was no choice.

_So you placed a hand on the corpse and dove into the land of the dead on your quest to find him to return him to the land of the living. If you succeeded, you could always kill him again. If you didn’t die in the process of finding him or shoving him back in his body._

_You were fucked._

_You don’t know how long you searched for his soul. It felt like eternity. It felt like no time at all._

_You finally found him in the halls of Valhalla. Despite that he had been evil, he had died in glorious battle against Cap, which had technically granted him access to Valhalla. Even if he was a piece of dirt. The rules only stated that it was warriors and those who died fighting in battle who were allowed._

_He was drinking in the hall and thankfully Odin wasn’t there to yell at you for stealing him out of Valhalla. “You’re coming with me,” you told him while he looked at you stupidly._

_“But... I’m dead,” he protested._

_You rolled your eyes. “Yes. You are. And while I agree that you should remain dead, unfortunately your moronic followers are insisting that you become alive again. And since my husband’s life is on the line, that means you need to come with me. Now,” you told him firmly and grabbed his arm to drag him back to his body._

_He protested, of course he did, but he finally allowed himself to be led to his body and shoved back into it. It took every drop of power you could muster. It took all of your strength, all of your skill, and all of your centuries of training to manage it._

_It was a struggle and there weren’t words to describe the pressure your mind and magic were under to shove his soul back into a body that had been dead for seventy years. The pressure built and built as you were stretched so thin. You pulled on every reserve you had, every trick you’d learned over the centuries._

_You managed it._

_Just as something snapped within you._

You opened your eyes on the real world and found yourself looking into a pair of bright green eyes set in a thin pale face, framed with raven black hair.

“Darling? Love? Are you alright?” he asked as he helped you into a sitting position.

You just looked up at him confused.

It took you a minute to find the words. You were so tired and drained.

Why were you tired and drained? You couldn’t remember.

You looked up at the man and asked him the question you needed to know:

“Who... are you?”


	39. Chapter 39

You watched the man’s expression.It changed from hopeful when you woke. You watched his expression fall, saw the light leave his eyes as pain entered.Saw his disbelief, his horror, his heartbreak as tears filled his eyes and he took in your words.He settled on disbelief for a moment.“It’s me, Loki, your husband,” he told you gently, hoping against hope that that would be enough.You saw the heartbreak and sorrow return when his words sparked no recognition in you. 

It broke your heart too, to see this man so sad. You didn’t like him being upset. 

You didn’t like the tears in his eyes.

You hated more how he buried those emotions to take care of you. To reassure you. 

“I-husband-I’m sorry- I,” you tried to process that.It didn’t sound _wrong_ but you didn’t remember either. You really tried to remember, but all you could remember was the awful snapping, feeling in your mind as something within you shattered.

Also apparently English, or whatever language you were speaking.

Loki pulled you into his arms. You should have stiffened.Should have questioned or felt unsafe.But… he felt like home.His hug felt like home.“Shh, Kyrie, my love.It’s alright.Everything will be alright,” he promised.“We’ll get you home and sort all of this out,” he added, holding you safe in his arms and stroking your hair.Your arms wrapped around him.He just… felt like home.It was impossible to understand. You didn’t remember him, but it felt right.

He let you go and got to his feet, helping you stand a moment later.You were wearing armor.You both were.And had weapons.You saw your wrist.A tattoo?And Loki’s name, stylized and in sigil form, but it was definitely Loki’s name on your arm.Apparently you also remembered how to read and how to read sigils.That was useful.“What-?” You started, staring at the familiar tattoo.A tattoo you felt…pride in. Was it pride?It felt like pride.That didn’t make any sense.

Why would you be proud of a tattoo?

Why would you be proud to have this man’s name etched in your skin?

Loki shook his head.“Don’t worry about that now, love.Let me take care of you for once,” he bid you gently.You didn’t know what else to do, so you nodded and let Loki wrap an arm around your shoulders.You were in some kind of warehouse with lots of computers and equipment.There were also six other people standing around nearby in various costumes?armor?Superheroes, your mind supplied from… somewhere.

“Brother?” The big man with the hammer asked, looking concerned.

Loki’s arm around your shoulder tightened protectively.“Let’s get her home.We’ll figure everything out there,” Loki replied instead of answering his brother’s question. 

The brother nodded. “Take her home.We will take care of things here,” he replied.

Loki turned his attention back to you.“Hold on tight, love.I’m going to teleport us home,” he told you gently.You wrapped your arms around him, inexplicably trusting this man.Though he said he was your husband, and you saw the matching rings on your left hands.He was telling the truth.

Magic shimmered around you and it felt so familiar and your stomach did the same familiar drop as you disappeared from the strange creepy warehouse and reappeared in a brightly lit living room.

Loki took a step back and looked over you, concerned. “Are you alright, love?” He asked as he looked you over with a healer’s eye, looking for injuries.You started to nod. You were sore and aching, but nothing terribly bad.Except you saw the electrical burn marks on your body.On his too. Loki huffed in loving exasperation. “You can’t even remember your own name, and you are _still_ self sacrificing,” he told you lovingly, and warmly and led you to one of the nearby couches.He sat you down and summoned a jar of some kind of medicated ointment.You could smell the medication in it and feel the healing spells.

“Please, tell me what’s going on,” you begged him softly as he applied the ointment to the electrical burns.

“It’s a long story, my love,” he told you as he worked, but he didn’t stop talking. “Do you remember anything?” He asked gently, looking for a place to start.

You thought again, but shook your head.“Just something snapping in my brain,” you tried to explain.“Like I’d been pulled too thin and something snapped,”

He nodded and his expression was gentle and reassuring as he worked on the burns with the ointment which you couldn’t help relaxing at the relief you felt at the medicated ointment. “It’ll be alright, love,” he reassured you.“I’ll start at the beginning, and I swear I will not lie to you, no matter how strange the tale sounds.Your name is Y/N, daughter of Sigun.You’re a Valkyrie of Asgard and my wife.You’re also half Jotun, frost giant.So you can’t touch the mortals.Anyone here besides the big oaf with the hammer and myself,” he told you.His story did sound crazy, but you saw the tattoo again and had a flash of recognition. It was the mark of the Valkyrie. 

“And I’m sworn to your service…” you surmised, based on the tattoo and the sigil of his name on your arm. It sounded right, even if you didn’t remember.

He sighed in the same tone of loving exasperation. “You remember nothing and still are focused on your duty,” he told you lovingly.You heard the love and caring. You saw how he was doing everything in his power to take care of you.“Yes, you’re sworn to my service, but more important to me is that you’re my wife and I love you more than anything.We’ve been living on Midgard and helping a team of heroes here.Today, we went on a mission to investigate a warehouse that was supposed to be just a spy mission.It was a trap to make you bring back someone from the dead,” he told you gently.

“But… I can’t bring people back from the dead,”

Loki nodded sadly.“You’re a Valkyrie. You _can_ bring them back if they are very newly dead, but the man they made you bring back had been dead for over 70 years.It should have been impossible. It should have killed you to even try.But they made you do it to save my life,” he told you with helpless tears in his eyes. 

You didn’t know why.

You didn’t understand.

But you had to move, had to pull this man into your arms, had to hold him close as the contact soothed you both.You stroked his hair, breathing in his comforting scent that reminded you of mint and a crisp winter’s day.You held him tightly and reassuringly.

“I’m here,” you promised him.It was all you could say to reassure him.

You didn’t think it would be enough, when you couldn’t remember.


	40. Chapter 40

Loki sat up from your embrace and gave you a look that could only be described as ‘loving exasperation’.It was followed by a warm, gentle smile.You could see the love and caring in his eyes, but you couldn’t remember it, couldn’t remember him.And you hated it.You were also bone-numbingly exhausted.“Some things never change, even when you can’t remember me or anything of your life, and you are still trying to see to my needs and emotions above your own,” he sighed in exasperation and pulled you gently into his arms.He was gentle and careful and you noted why.He may be your husband, but he was a stranger to you at the same time, and you realized that he was trying to make sure you were comfortable with whatever happened between you.He wasn’t forcing or expecting a relationship that wasn’t there. That you couldn’t remember being there. 

Though you saw it hurt him to do. 

He wanted nothing more than for you to remember him.He wanted his wife back.You could see it in his eyes when he let you go and looked at you again. You saw the heartbreak he was trying to hide in his haunted green eyes.You just wanted to hug him until all the broken pieces were put back together. 

Why couldn’t you remember him?

Or this place?

Or anything besides that awful pulling sensation and the terrible feeling of something snapping in your mind.

Yet, you knew you could trust Loki.Something, some semblance of memory, of self, promised that you could trust this man.He wasn’t lying.Not on this, not on something this important.So while you couldn’t remember, you did finally know some things of your life.

You were married to Loki.

You were a Valkyrie of Asgard.

You were Asgardian and had some vague awareness of what that meant.

You were sworn to Loki’s service.

Sworn to defend your husband.

 _Prince of Asgard_ some lost part of your mind supplied.That would explain why a Valkyrie was assigned to him. 

And, of course, no one could protect him as well as you.

You weren’t sure where that last thought had come from, but you knew it was true. 

The elevator doors behind you dinged, drawing your attention away from your thoughts and to the intruders.You were in your feet in an instant, whirling to face the elevator, daggers in your hands from… somewhere, and in position to defend Loki.You hadn’t actively thought about moving.You hadn’t made the decision to defend Loki.You had _no_ idea whatsoever where the daggers had come from.

Loki stood slowly as the group of superheroes carefully stepped off the elevator.Loki’s cold hands were on yours as he stepped up behind you.“Easy, darling, easy,” Loki told you gently.“Those are our friends,” he reassured you gently and carefully took the daggers from your hands. You let him, trusting him. He said it was safe, so you had to believe that he was right about these people. 

You had to trust him.

 _Lord of Lies_ your unhelpful brain supplied.You told it to shut up and let Loki take the daggers, relaxing your stance.

“No change, yet, brother?” The big oaf with the hammer asked. Loki shook his head and gave the other Asgardian, his brother, a look.You translated the look to mean that Loki would tell them more later.

“Kyrie, darling.These are our friends.Except the oaf with the hammer, he’s my brother,” Loki told you and introduced the others in the room. You saw that they had similar heartbroken expressions and wanted to get out of there.You felt guilty for their emotions, for the fact that they were sad at what had happened to you.It obviously hurt them, and you couldn’t remember them, but their pain and heartbreak still hurt you. You wished you could remember them, but you couldn’t.You wished you could remember any of them.

You _really_ wished you remembered at least your husband. 

Your hand went to your head, staving off the impeding headache from everything.You needed to think, needed to figure out something, anything.“Darling?Are you alright?” Loki asked gently, his arm around your shoulders comfortingly.

“Is there somewhere I can lie down?” You asked him softly. 

Loki gave you a soft, gentle, smile, and nodded.“Of course, love.We’ll go up to our apartment,” he told you gently and led you to the elevator.You went up a few floors and opened the entryway into a huge apartment.He showed you around the living room, kitchen, library, and the two bedrooms.“We usually sleep in this one,” he indicated the master bedroom with its huge king-sized bed.“But one of the Valkyrie beds is in here for you,” he opened the second bedroom’s door. Inside was a comfortable nest-like bed with high pillowed sides.“You occasionally prefer sleeping here since it supports your wings.I don’t care for your silly marshmallow bed,” he teased and it sounded like such an old teasing that you couldn’t help but smile.He was also giving you a valid reason to choose to sleep in the separate bed without thinking you were offending him.He wouldn’t force you to sleep in the same bed as a man you didn’t remember.Even if he was your husband. 

“Thank you,” you told him softly, overwhelmed and just wanting to rest and praying you could remember something of your life when you’d gotten some sleep.

He gave you a warm smile.“Anything for you, Kyrie-love.Get some rest. I’ll be nearby if you need me,” he reassured you.He’d be nearby, but wouldn’t pressure you or overpower you. He was taking care of you, no matter how much it broke him to do it when you couldn’t remember him.

“Why do you call me that?” You asked him curiously.

It was the wrong thing to ask.

You saw the hurt in his eyes that you didn’t remember, though he covered it up quickly.“I have called you Kyrie since we were children,” he unknowingly, unrememberingly, or on purpose quoted the same words back to you now that you had told him when he couldn’t remember you.Of course you didn’t know it at the time.“My Lady Mother used to call you her little Valkyrie so often that I thought your name was Valkyrie for ages, but we were children, so I shortened it to Kyrie.And you’ve been Kyrie ever since,”

Something flashed, a hint of a memory of a small thin boy with raven black hair. 

“Thanks, Lohk,” you replied automatically and you saw Loki light up. 

Your memories weren’t gone, not completely.They were just lost. And any lost thing could be found again.It would just take time and effort.

You would get your memories back.


	41. Chapter 41

You woke early the next morning, like before the sun early, and yet it seemed right.Hel, you actually felt like you’d overslept.You shifted in your giant marshmallow bed, your wings were spread and supported by the high walls.Loki was right that this bed was designed for your kind.You felt so relaxed in the giant marshmallow bed that you were tempted to go back to sleep.But it went against… training?Habit?You weren’t quite sure except that your body was telling you that you needed to get up.Now.

So you groaned and got out of bed. 

Loki hadn’t been upset when you chose your giant marshmallow bed. When you chose the bed he said he hated and made absolutely clear he wouldn’t join you in.He’d been supportive and simply made sure you had enough blankets and were comfortable before he’d pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.It was nothing more than could be considered a friendly gesture.

You were thankful that he wasn’t pressing you or pressuring you to resume your relationship.You knew it hurt him, but his priority seemed to be making sure you were safe and comfortable.He would rebuild his relationship with you brick by brick if that’s what it took.

You couldn’t help… loving?… him for it.

You shook those thoughts from your head, feeling like you needed to do something physical to feel like yourself again.Your clothes shimmered and you let your magic work automatically and found yourself in soft black pants and a green tunic.You didn’t question the clothing choice.You did notice that your shirt and the practice gear arm guards allowed view of your Valkyrie tattoo and the sigil of Loki’s name on your arm.

You left the bedroom and found Loki sitting on the couch in your sitting room reading a book and sipping on a cup of tea.He gave you a warm smile.“Good morning, Kyrie,” he greeted you and tossed you a pastry.You caught it with a smile and bit into it, moaning in pleasure at the taste.“Some things never change,” Loki said appreciatively.Apparently, you’d loved these things before.You didn’t care right now.Right now, you cared about eating your weight in the delicious pastries.You sat on the couch with Loki and the two of you ate pastries and sipped on tea and it felt… normal.

He vanished the dishes after you’d finished eating.“I have an idea of how to maybe spark your memories.Are you up for trying?” Loki asked, sounding hesitant.He was being so careful not to push you. 

You nodded enthusiastically, relieved.You hadn’t come up with any ideas on what to do to get your memories back.Though the library here was full of magic texts, that was likely your next stop.“I’m up to trying almost anything to get them back,” there were some limits on what you’d be willing to try.Murder was pretty high up on the list of things you weren’t willing to try.

Yet.

No, you wouldn’t really murder someone to get your memories back.Unless it was someone who’d taken them from you in the first place.

Loki stood and offered you his hand.“Come, darling,” he bid you warmly.You placed your hand in his and let him help you to your feet.He kept your hand in his and left your apartment with you.You didn’t mind your hand being in his.It was comforting. You took the elevator down to one of the lower levels of the building and walked down the hall to a large workout room. 

“A workout?That’s your plan?” You asked him unsure how that was going to help anything.

Loki led you to the middle of the training room and turned to face you.“Trust me, Kyrie-love,” he bid you and you saw the begging in his eyes to let him make this attempt.

You nodded, trusting the man you couldn’t remember, but claimed to be your husband.He had no reason to lie about that, and surely the rest of the team would have protested if he were lying. Especially with his name on your arm as part of your Valkyrie tattoo.

Loki turned to face you, a carefully measure distance between you.He gave you a warm smile.“Punch me, right hand to the face,” he told you.

You just stared at him confused.“Punch you?But you’re my husband!” You protested, distressed by the very idea of hurting him.And you had no doubt in your mind that if you wanted to, you could kick his ass.

Easily.

You didn’t know where that knowledge came from.But you had an image in your mind of pining him on his back a dagger to his throat until he yelled ‘yield’. 

“Trust me, darling,” he bid you and got into position. 

You sighed heavily, but your body automatically fell into a fighting stance, balanced on the balls of your feet, your knees bent, fists up and ready.You didn’t know where the stance came from or why.You also didn’t know why you listened to him and made the punch he had requested.He blocked automatically and without thinking you were moving to a block, then the next punch, a block, and kick, a spin.It was all choreographed and you ran through the drills with ease.

It was the ease of years, centuries, of practicing these drills every day. 

Your body remembered, even if your mind didn’t actively remember them.  It was muscle memory as its finest. 

You sank into the drills, letting your body move as your mind tried to remember, tried to put the pieces together of why it knew how to move like this.  

You caught glimpses as you worked.Training against Loki in various ages, running through these drills with him over the centuries.  You practiced them day in and day out at least once a day every day for your very long life.  

Of course your body remembered.

You suddenly had daggers in your hands.So did Loki and there was no break in the drills.You switched weapons again.And again.Ending with the sword.

You remembered learning these drills.You remembered training and strengthening your body.You remembered pushing yourself to work harder and faster so you would be worthy to be assigned as your best friend’s valkyrie.

You remembered sparring Loki.

You remembered and you saw the spark in Loki’s eye when he realized that you were starting to remember.

His plan was working, though you didn’t know how.


	42. Chapter 42

Your life fell into a pattern over the next couple of days.You went through the training dance every morning with Loki.It felt like old times and you remembered small snippets of your life when you did.Your body could work through the familiar movements while your mind wandered among itself, looking for your past.You spent time with the team, trying to get to know them again.That was more difficult, since they all talked and acted like you knew them, since they knew you.It was disconcerting at best and frustrating as Hel at worst.At least they stopped asking if you remembered things.

It seemed like your personality was intact.

Or so you were told when the alarms sounded in the tower and you wouldn’t let Loki go without you. He was your charge to protect.Of course you were going with him.You couldn’t remember your own name, or the past thousand years you’d been alive, but you knew your duty to your prince.You knew how to fight and you would _not_ let your husband fight alone.

“It’s too dangerous,” Cap protested.“We can’t have her fighting around civilians when she can’t remember anything, including how to pull her punches,”

You glared at him.“I am going with my husband whether you want me to or not,” you told him firmly.Cap glared right back at you, but you didn’t budge.

“You will not convince her otherwise, Captain,” Loki informed him.“She is stubborn as Hel and it does you no good to argue with a Valkyrie about keeping her charge safe.We go to this fight together,”

Together.

The word resounded in you and it felt right.It felt like how you always were with your Loki.Ever since you’d found him again.You were together in everything.Every challenge you faced, you’d do it together.

That’s what being married was about.

And being his Valkyrie?

That just meant that you’d kill every single person on the face of the Earth before you’d allow harm to come to a single hair on his head. That was reasonable, right? Right?

Ok, maybe not, but he was still yours to protect.And by Odin’s saggy shriveled left testicle you would not allow him to go out into danger alone.

Cap gave you a stern look. “Fine, you can come, but do not kill anyone unless it is absolutely life or death necessary.Monsters you can kill.Don’t hurt the civilians no matter how stupid you and Loki think they are,” he tried to give a quick rundown of what was and was not allowed when it came to missions with the team.

You rolled your eyes. “I have amnesia, I’m not a moron, Cap,” you informed him dryly as you summoned your battle armor and blades.“I’m also not an immoral monster, despite that I’m half Jotun,” you informed him grumpily. 

Loki chuckled.“Some things never change, my darling,” he told you warmly. You grinned at him. Some things, did in fact, never change.

*

A couple days later you walked into the common room to find Loki and Thor talking.At least they seemed to be talking and not arguing.They didn’t see you and they were in the middle of a conversation “We should take her home to mother, see if she can find a solution.She’s not getting any better, despite your magic, and despite your tricks,” Thor was telling Loki.

Loki sighed and placed his head in his hands.“I know. You’re right, I just… I feel so helpless.I can’t even save or protect my wife.I didn’t even take care of my Valkyrie.I’m not worthy of either.Not worthy of her,” he said with heartbreak and tears in his voice. 

“As says any gentleman who is in love.You are worthy of her and have loved her for your entire life.Now, we have to do what is best for her and take her to mother.You know mother is a stronger healer and has done mind healing before.Mayhaps she can help,” Thor suggested gently.

Loki sighed.“You’re right,” he said, defeated.“Everything I have tried has failed.It’s time to bring mother in and see if there is anything she can do,” he sighed again before he admitted.“I have been delaying asking for her help, in a large part due to my own fear.What if she cannot cure Kyrie?” he asked Thor plaintively, his voice not the strong confident Loki you knew, but that of a small boy begging his older brother to help him.

Thor clapped Loki’s shoulder reassuringly.“Mother is the strongest healer in the entire realm. I’m sure she will have some trick up her sleeve to help,”

“And if she doesn’t?!” Loki demanded, his voice pained.“What if she can never remember?”

“Then you shall both have to live with that outcome.You will have to woo her again, win her heart again.It will not be easy, but nothing in the nine realms worth having is.We can tell her stories of our life before now.It is not the same.It is not ideal, but I know you care for her more than anything in any universe and I know you will refuse to lose her,” Thor said and pulled Loki into his arms.For once, Loki didn’t stab Thor, accepting the comfort. 

You realized how tough all of this was on Loki, on your husband who gave you space, who was so careful not to push you, to make you uncomfortable.You husband who had known you for centuries, but who you couldn’t remember.You knew it was hard on him when you weren’t comfortable kissing a stranger, much less sleeping in the same bed as one.It was hard to get over the feeling that you didn’t know him.You knew you did.You remembered a few small pieces of him.It hadn’t quite been enough, not until now.

Now he was hurting.

Now you couldn’t deny his love.

It broke your heart to see him so hurting.You slipped into the room and took Thor’s place, pulling your husband into your arms.Thor let you take his place without question or comment. “It’ll be alright, Lohk,” you promised him.Whatever happened, it would be alright.You would face it together.His arms wrapped tentatively around you and he held you close when you didn’t pull away, burying his head in the crook of your neck while you stroked his hair, whispering reassuring words. 

You couldn’t remember him, couldn’t remember meeting him or falling in love.

But somehow you felt the love you had shared regardless.


	43. Chapter 43

“Did you hear what we were discussing, Kyrie?” Thor asked once Loki had composed himself and sat up again. You kept your hand in Loki’s as you turned to give your attention to Thor.You saw Loki’s smile and his hand squeezed yours gently.He appreciated the gesture. He appreciated the small kindness. 

You couldn’t touch the mortals without harming them.

You could touch Loki and Thor.And Loki craved physical affection.You knew that.And you knew how hard it was on him not to initiate contact with you when he was obviously so used to doing so. 

He was trying so hard not to push himself on you.He knew you didn’t remember him, didn’t remember that he was your husband.He wasn’t forcing you to resume that relationship.

Though it was obviously killing him.

“Eavesdropping is rude,” you informed Thor instead of answering his question.It was easier to lie when you didn’t actually answer the question.

Thor boomed his laughter.“You two have always been too similar for your own good,” he laughed. 

“Why is that funny?” you asked him confused.You’d just been avoiding admitting to something that was actually rude. 

Loki chuckled. “I am the God of Mischief and Lies, darling.That was an answer I would give if I wished to not divulge some piece of mischief,” he explained.You couldn’t help giggling at that.

“Fine, I _may_ have heard what you were discussing,” you admitted sheepishly.“But I wasn’t trying to,” you added defensively.

Thor laughed. “I’m aware, sister dear,” he teased you and you couldn’t help smiling at him.The boys had told you that you’d grown up alongside them, as Loki’s best friend and Thor’s adopted little sister.You accepted without hesitation that your brother-in-law was allowed to treat you like a little sister. It was different accepting him treating you like a little sister than Loki wanting to treat you like his wife.Sister was a lot easier when you didn’t remember.There were a lot fewer expectations. 

“You think we should return to Asgard,” you said to draw the conversation back on topic. 

“Would you three _please_ speak English?” Stark growled from across the room. You all turned to stare at him.Apparently none of you had realized you’d slipped into the language of your home. Allspeak was useful, but it wasn’t native, and when it was just the three of you, you all tended to slip into Asgardian.You thought the boys liked the small taste of home.They had to miss Asgard, living so far away.“It’s really hard to eavesdrop when I can’t understand what you’re saying,” Stark grumbled.

You laughed in reply.“That’s kinda the point, Shellhead,” you teased in Allspeak, and therefore in English.The group looked amazed.Apparently this kind of banter was common before you’d lost your memories. 

“Whatever you say, Smurfette,” he teased right back and when back to what he was working on on one of the blue Jarvis screens.

You turned your attention back to Thor, the shellhead having been dealt with.“We believe that Mother might be able to help with your memories.She is the strongest healer in the realm and has done mind healing before.I’m also sure your mother would like to see you.She may have suggestions as well,” he explained while Loki held your hand, seeming nervous.You’d heard his reservations.He was afraid your mind would be unable to be healed.

“Are you sure you need to go back to Asgard right now?We could really use your strength here with Red Skull on the loose again.Hydra could strike at any moment,” Cap sounded worried at the prospect of you going back to Asgard.Of losing three warriors when there was a threat. 

A threat you’d been forced to unleash.

“I understand your concern, Captain,” Loki replied. Thor let him take the lead on diplomatic answers.Loki’s silvertongue came in handy for such things.The brothers worked well playing off of each other’s skills. They had centuries of experience at it.“However, Kyrie is our best fighter.Even you cannot argue that the warrior bred for battle and trained from birth, who had to go through those awful trials, is our best warrior.If this threat is as dangerous as you say, then we need to be as strong as possible and we cannot do that with my wife unable to remember anything. We need her back at 100% and if my mother can help, then it is worth the trip home,” Loki told Cap firmly.

Cap sighed heavily.“You’re right, of course.I just wish you weren’t out of contact if we need help here,”

Thor nodded.“We will tell Heimdall to listen for you.If you have need of us, call to him and he will get word.It is not the best solution, but we really do need to see if we can get Kyrie’s memories back to her,” he suggested.Heimdall was the gatekeeper. He saw and heard everything.If Thor told him to listen for the mortal’s call, he would.You didn’t know how you knew any of that, but you knew it to be true. 

Cap nodded.“Alright then. You’re right that we need everyone at 100%.Be careful, all of you.” You tried not to roll your eyes. Cap was overprotective of the entire team.The entire team was overprotective of you, but Cap tried to protect everyone.Even thousand year old gods.

Thor looked over at you and Loki.“Shall we head out now?”

Loki nodded.“There’s no reason to delay,” he agreed and stood. Your hand was still in his and he turned his hand to offer to help you to your feet.You didn’t need the help, but you kept your hand in his as you stood.Loki’s clothes shimmered to Asgardian, not his battle armor, but a green tunic and soft black pants.Nothing fancy enough for full-court, but still looked fantastic.You summoned a similar outfit, following Loki’s lead.You’d apparently retained your magic skills and knowledge along with your fighting skills.Loki gave you a warm smile and you relaxed, glad you’d chosen right.He loosened his hand in yours, giving you the option to break the contact if you wished.You squeezed his hand and couldn’t help but be pleased at how much his smile grew.

You made your way outside with the boys to a bifrost circle next to the tower.Thor raised Mjolnir to first change into his armor, as that seemed to be what he wore most of the time back home.That done, he called to Heimdall.Loki’s arm went around your shoulders, holding you safely to his side, though you knew instinctively how to brace yourself for the feeling of weightlessness, of floating up into the sky without the power of your wings, of flying through the rainbow lights. You didn’t blame Loki for being protective.It was in his nature after all.And he was your husband, even if you didn’t remember.

You stepped out into a huge golden circular chamber in front of a giant of a man with a huge sword.The man nodded his greeting to you all.“Welcome home, your highnesses,” he bid you kindly. “Your horses are waiting.” 

Loki looked relieved that you wouldn’t have to walk, or he wouldn’t have to teleport you.He offered you his arm and you placed your hand on it, automatically.“Come along, darling, let’s get you to Mother,” he told you gently.You nodded and walked with him, but let him take the lead so you weren’t walking exactly side by side.It seemed important somehow.Loki sighed and seemed sad by that. “Tradition be damned.You’re my wife, my equal,” Loki told you and shifted enough so you were walking next to him. 

You didn’t know what to make of that statement so you remained quiet, taking in Loki’s statement, his anger at your actions.Or more, at the tradition behind them.Whatever it was.Thor led the way and the three of you left the bifrost chamber.Thor stepped aside to let you get a good look at the rainbow bridge and the city beyond. 

The sight of the golden city sparked something inside of you.

Home.

You were home.


	44. Chapter 44

Loki gave you a warm smile at the expression on your face.He knew you too well and knew you felt the golden city was home.He knew you at least remembered that much.“Come along, Kyrie-love.We must present ourselves to the Allfather, then we can go to Mother to see about your memories,” Loki bid you as he led you forward towards the three waiting horses.

You paused and looked up at Loki confused.“Isn’t the Allfather your father?” you asked him.You’d caught the distinction that he called Odin ‘the allfather’ while he called Frigga ‘mother’.There was a difference, a distinction, and it seemed important that you understand what it was.

Loki’s expression hardened. “Odin is _not_ my father,” he snarled. You wanted to take a step back, to back away from his anger, but that wasn’t the right course of action. 

You stepped closer and cupped his cheek instead, offering comfort from the painful memory.“Lohk?” you asked him softly, gently as he leaned into your touch.He was still so touch and affection starved that he always leaned into your touch anytime you were brave enough to.

Loki sighed heavily.“The Allfather took me from Jotunheim as a pawn for his schemes.He hid what I was for a millennia.He was the one who banished you from Asgard when we were scarcely older than children, in order to protect the secret that I’m Jotun.He tried banishing you again when we found each other again.He prefers to banish his mistakes rather than admit he did any wrong.No matter who gets hurt in the process,” Loki paused his rant and sighed again.You wrapped your arms around him, offering him what comfort you could.You could only do so much about painful memories.Especially when you didn’t remember any of this yourself.“Mother had to go along with what the Allfather ordered, but she always did her best to make me feel like her true child.And she taught me my magic,” Loki added and you could hear the warmth in his tone when he spoke of Frigga.“She has loved me as her own child,”

“That’s because you’re her son,” you reassured him. 

He chuckled and pressed his lips to the top of your head. It was an automatic gesture, you knew.He didn’t even seem to realize he’d done it.You forgave him the slip.Especially since it wasn’t unpleasant. 

“We should head to the palace. The sooner we present ourselves to Father, the sooner we can get Kyrie to Mother,” Thor reminded you both. 

Loki nodded and let you go as you unwound your arms from around him.Loki looked at you and stiffened.“Kyrie, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, seeming to realize what he’d done.“I shouldn’t have kissed you.I didn’t mean- I wasn’t trying to push-”

You shook your head.“Don’t worry about it, Lohk.It was an automatic gesture.It’s fine,” you reassured him with a smile and made your way to the horses.

It was clear that the two stallions belonged to Thor and Loki, so you climbed on the mare while you waited for the boys.Thor laughed and mounted the golden stallion while Loki mounted the raven one.With that, the three of you made your way straight to the palace.You didn’t remember when you’d learned how to ride a horse, but your body remembered horseback riding and you kept your seat without trouble. The ride to the palace was short and seemed so very familiar as your horse’s hooves beat across the rainbow bridge to the golden city.Hostlers took your horses when you arrived and the three of you headed straight for the throne room.

Thor took lead and you and Loki followed him into the throne room up to where Odin sat on the golden throne.Thor stopped before the throne and bowed and you and Loki joined suit, though you saw that the action grated on Loki’s nerves and temper. He didn’t want to bow to Odin.You didn’t blame him with everything he said Odin had put you through.

“My children, rise,” Odin ordered you, acknowledging your return.You all did as he said, rising from your bows to face him.The one-eyed man seemed familiar, but so did everything here, so it wasn’t particularly helpful.“You have returned early,” the words were phrased as a statement, but it was clear it was a question.

Thor inclined his head, taking point since Odin liked him best.“There was an attack on us on Midgard,” he explained. “Loki’s Valkyrie was harmed beyond our capabilities to heal her.We returned earlier than planned to bring her before Mother.”You stayed quiet, listening and observing the interaction.Odin looked you over, seemingly doubting Thor’s words, but nodded.“Loki, see to your Valkyrie.Thor, remain here, there are things we must catch up on.”You nearly sighed in relief as you and Loki escaped the throne room.You felt the tension leave Loki as well when you were safely away from Odin. 

“Come, Kyrie-love, let’s go find Mother.She will put this to rights,” Loki bid you as he settled your hand back on the crook of his elbow to escort you to the healing wing where his mother ruled as head healer.He sounded more confident now about Frigga’s skills than you’d heard him sound since this idea was brought up. Loki pointed out sights around the palace and memories around you as you walked to the healing wing.You didn’t remember any of them, but you appreciated the gesture all the same.

You saw Loki’s nerves when he came to the double-doors of the healing wing.He took a deep breath and steeled himself before he entered with you at his side.There were two women inside waiting for you.The golden-haired woman in the equally golden gown rushed to Loki to hug him around the neck.He smiled and relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.“Mother, it is good to see you again,” he told her warmly. 

Frigga leaned up to kiss his cheek.“And you, my son,” she turned to you and you couldn’t help stiffen in the anticipation of being touched.Frigga was too all-seeing and noted your strange behavior.“What’s happened, my darlings?”

Loki hesitated, looking for words. 

The other woman approached you, looking concerned.You saw the Valkyrie tattoo on her arm as well.You hadn’t acted the way she expected, obviously.She knew something was wrong. “Daughter?” she asked you gently.That’s what was wrong.You hadn’t greeted her when you saw her.Of course your mother would be upset and concerned that you didn’t greet her. 

You didn’t recognize her either.You tried.It meant so much to her that you remember.So you tried, but you couldn’t imagine what your mother looked like. 

You saw the heartbreak in her eyes that you didn’t recognize her. 

She turned to Loki, glaring up at him.“What happened?” she demanded of him.“What has happened to my daughter?”

Loki stayed calm under her glare, though you felt him internalize it, felt him accept her hate.“Kyrie lost her memories saving my life.We went on a mission.It was a trap for us. They threatened to kill me if she did not bring someone back from the dead.Rather than risk her charge, she managed to bring the man back, but lost her memories in the process,” Loki explained the facts, his voice dull as he recited what happened in a matter-of-fact way.He turned to address your mother in particular. “You daughter did her duty as a Valkyrie.She saved my life that day,”

He then did something you would never have expected the proud prince to do, and you would have expected it even less if you knew the entirety of his past. 

He went to his knees before your mother, bowing his head, anguish rolling off of him.“I am the one who failed. I failed my Valkyrie, I failed your daughter, and worse, I failed my wife.I pray with everything that I am that one day you might both find it in your hearts to forgive me for my failure,”

You couldn’t believe that he was on his knees begging your mother for forgiveness for failing to defend you.Even though it was your job to defend him.He would have begged your forgiveness had you been able to remember. Your mother was a Valkyrie as well, that might be why he was begging her forgiveness.That and she was his mother-in-law.

He didn’t dare look up at your mother as he waited for her reply.


	45. Chapter 45

Your mother paused a long moment, looking at the sight in front of her, of Loki, of her prince, of your husband, on his knees in front of her, begging for forgiveness.The proud prince didn’t beg for anything.He rarely showed anyone any emotion unless he really trusted them. You, Thor, and Frigga were about the only ones he trusted that much.Though of course, you didn’t remember.

You just saw that your husband was prostrating himself before your mother, begging for forgiveness for something that wasn’t his fault.

You took a step forward. “Mother-” you started.You had to say something to defend your husband, to defend your charge, from your mother’s wrath.

She held up a hand to stop whatever you were going to say.Ingrained habit made you stop at her silent command.There was no arguing with your mother and instinct told you to do what she said.So you stayed silent to at least wait and see what she had to say. 

“Rise, my prince,” she bid him gently.Loki warily got to his feet. Your mother could still punish him or demand a duel or any one of numerous things that would be awful for Loki and probably painful. You stepped up to Loki, took his hand in yours.You would protect your charge, even from your mother.You felt him stiffen for a moment, you hadn’t really initiated physical contact since you’d lost your memories.Especially since you couldn’t touch the humans without potentially killing them. You would stand beside him while he faced your mother and you would defend him from any threat.

He was your charge and your husband after all.

Even without your memories, some things didn’t change.

“My daughter did her duty as a Valkyrie.She is to be commended for her actions,” your mother said.Loki opened his mouth to protest that it was his fault.Your mother raised her hand again for silence.“You are not to be blamed, Loki.What occurred was not your fault.It was the fault of those who tried to harm the charge of a Valkyrie, who forced a Valkyrie to do their will.Your duties on Midgard are dangerous, as are your duties as Prince of Asgard.There is a reason the most skilled Valkyrie of her generation was assigned to you, best friend, eventual lover, or not,”

“I still bear the guilt of what I allowed to happen to my wife,” Loki replied softly.Even if your mother was willing to accept that what happened wasn’t Loki’s fault, didn’t mean that he was willing to forgive himself. 

“Her life ever before yours.She swore those vows to you, prince.And she means them as much today as she did the day they were sworn.She did her duty to you.She protected you from death and sacrificed herself to do so.She will be commended for her actions and for saving her charge,” there was no doubt you weren’t yourself right now.You weren’t expecting commendations for saving Loki. You knew in your soul that you were doing your duty.You didn’t need praise for that. You also knew that you’d been defending your husband.

You knew for sure you would’ve done it again in a heartbeat.

Loki’s expression fell.“Is there nothing that can be done to help her?I love her more than anything and she does not deserve to have her memories stripped from her,” he practically begged. 

Frigga moved closer and gave Loki a reassuring smile.“Let me see what I can do, darling,” Loki sighed in relief as you followed Frigga over to a pair of chairs facing each other.Frigga was the strongest healer in the nine realms.If anyone could do something to fix your shattered memories, it was Mama Frigga.“Just relax, dear, this will not hurt,” she told you gently once you were seated.You nodded your understanding.She placed her fingers against your temples and looked into your eyes as she worked her magic.You briefly registered your mother and Loki watching anxiously.You felt Frigga enter your mind and the feeling felt familiar.Frigga had taught you your magic when she taught Loki, of course the feeling was familiar.

All too soon she broke the connection and shook her head.The disappointment in Loki was palpable.“I’m sorry, darling.There is nothing I can do.The damage is beyond even my capabilities.It’s not just that the memories were broken or hidden.They were shattered into pieces and erased,”

“Mother, you said memories cannot be truly erased,” Loki protested.

“Usually that is true,” Frigga agreed “But the magic Kyrie used should have killed her.It is a miracle of love, duty, and determination that she returned to us with only her memories missing,” she shook her head.“I’m sorry, darlings,” she told you both. 

You felt Loki’s heart break and you went to him, wrapping your arms around him.It seemed so natural of a reaction. “It’ll be alright, Lohk. We’ll build new memories,” you reassured him, forever protecting your charge, even from his emotions.

Your mom cleared her throat.“There is a way,” she told you all when she had the room’s attention.“Come, children, Frigga,” she bid you and strode from the room. You and Loki scrambled to follow her and you felt the magic around her, though you couldn’t tell what she was doing.She led you to a chamber with an altar at the center.“Lie down on the table, on your back, wings out,” your mother told you quickly.

“Mother, what are you doing?” you asked, but moved to obey.She spread your wings across the altar at their full length. Frigga and Loki were just as curious as you were, but stayed out of your way.“The Valkyrie’s Blessing,” your mother replied unhelpfully.Frigga knew what it was clearly, and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him to an out of the way corner of the room.

The room began to fill with Valkyrie and apprentices. Some young children, some wizened crones.Any Valkyrie within range to hear your mother’s call had come.You realized then that she had called them to help you with whatever this blessing was.

“Our Sister, my daughter Y/N, sacrificed herself and her memories in order to save her charge, Prince Loki,” your mother announced when all the Valkyrie were gathered.“I ask any of you who are willing to acknowledge her sacrifice and offer her your blessing.Freely Given Freely Taken,” there was magic and ritual in the words, though you didn’t understand.

You didn’t understand when each woman approached the altar.

You barely understood when they pulled a feather from their own wings to lay them on your wings, covering your wings with all of the different colors.

You understood when you felt their power surround you.

You understood when the song began.The wizened crone who laid the first feather began the ancient song.Each feather added, led to another voice entering the song.It was a lament, a song of sorrow and sacrifice in a tongue so old its translations were lost, but the song wasn’t just a lament, it also had an undertone of hope, of love, of joy, of thanks and gratitude.

The song went on and on as more feathers were laid over your wings, as more power surrounded you.

Each Valkyrie offered a piece of herself to restore you.

Each Valkyrie honored your sacrificed, commended you for completing your duty.

Every single Valkyrie offered her power in the most honored tribute of your people.

The song ended when the last feather was placed by the youngest apprentice.

The power flared, swirled, snapped.

The feathers melded into your wings as you sat up with a gasp.

“Loki!” you called, catching your husband’s eyes as everything came back.There were tears in your eyes as you remembered everything.He saw your tears, saw your joy and his relief was palpable as he knew before you said the words.

“I remember everything,”


	46. Chapter 46

“I remember everything!” you told Loki ecstatically as your arms wrapped tightly around his neck.Your memories came flooding back, healed and restored by the sacrifice of your fellow Valkyrie and the trainees. 

Loki’s arms tightened around you and he held you to him with a desperation in his grip.“I thought I had lost you, my darling,” he told you softly as he held you while the Valkyrie cheered around you.Your sisters in the Valkyrie were all beyond pleased that you had gotten your memories back, that their Blessing had restored you. 

You loosened your grip on Loki to pull back enough that you could kiss him and kiss him well.Loki kissed you back, pulling you tight to him as he kissed you deeply. “I missed you, my wife,” he told you when he finally broke the kiss.There were more cheers from your Valkyrie sisters at the deep kiss. You hadn’t realized what you’d lost while you couldn’t remember Loki.You realized now how hurt he had been by your loss.He had thought he had lost you forever.You had still been there physically, but you hadn’t been you.Even more dangerous was that you had all your strength and skills. And no memories on how to actively use them.

No wonder they had been so desperate to get your memories back as quickly as possible. 

You kissed Loki softly again before you turned to the gathered Valkyrie.You had to thank them for what they did, though your words wouldn’t be enough. Not for the sacrifice they’d made for you.Loki placed his hand on your shoulder, offering you his strength and support. 

“My sisters, I do not have the words to properly thank you for what you have done.There are no mere words that would be sufficient.I know the sacrifice each of you made to restore me and I am beyond honored.I not only have to thank you as a fellow Valkyrie, but as your princess,” you told them and bowed to them deeply.“So I offer you my most sincere gratitude and I swear to you that I will be worthy of the sacrifice you have all made for me on this day,”

As you rose, you saw them each drop to one knee, kneeling before you.You realized something that you hadn’t quite considered yet.Loki was the only member of the royal family with a Valkyrie of his own. Odin didn’t have a personal Valkyrie, though there was always at least one on duty to him, none were assigned personally, like you were.He hadn’t taken a liking to any of them after he’d gotten married.Thor had never taken to one either, and there had to be some kind of relationship between a Valkyrie and their charge or the bond just didn’t work out.So Loki was the only member of the royal family with an active-duty Valkyrie assigned to him, who was also married to him. 

That technically made you the highest ranking Valkyrie in the land.You now outranked them all, since you were a princess on top of being a Valkyrie. 

You were the ruler of all the Valkyrie.

You weren’t sure it was a responsibility you were prepared for.In fact, you were sure you weren’t.You were equally sure that you were missing a lot of information about what your responsibilities were.You made a note to yourself to get with your mother later and find out what responsibilities you had acquired unknowingly when you’d gotten married. 

“Rise, please,” you told them, unused to anyone kneeling or bowing to you.To your husband, to your family, of course, but not to you.It was another thing you’d have to get used to.Quickly.

You could practically feel Loki chuckling at your discomfort and would have to throw him on his ass for it later.Or challenge him to the sparring drills.Same diff.

Your mother approached you as the Valkyrie rose to return to their own duties.“Daughter, you should rest.The Valkyrie’s Blessing is tiring for all of us,” she bid you. 

You nodded wearily. “Yes, mother,” you agreed and realized the rest of the Valkyrie were heading to get rest as well, not return to their duties as you first thought.You saw those who had personal assignments were greeted by their charges. The charges fretted over their exhausted weak Valkyrie to take care of them for once.

Loki’s arm wrapped around your shoulders, holding you to him and on your feet.You hadn’t realized the bone-numbing exhaustion until the excitement had faded. Now, you were barely keeping your feet under you.“Let’s get you to bed, my darling,” Loki bid you warmly.He nodded to your mother and kissed Frigga on the cheek before he led you from the room.He swept you into his arms to carry you to bed.

For once, you didn’t protest, knowing that all the Valkyrie were in the same condition.Frigga made a comment to the Einherjar to increase security while the Valkyrie were out of commission.There wasn’t much that could take you all out at the same time.

The Valkyrie’s Blessing was one of those few things.

*

While you rested, you dreamed of memories that weren’t your own.Of battles and loves.Of small secrets, hidden dangers.It all felt real, all felt like things you had known and experienced.You felt like you were living through the things you saw.

But you knew the memories weren’t your own. 

They belonged to the Valkyrie who had given them up to repair your memories.

So you honored their sacrifice by viewing the memories they had given you.You would hold them within you for them for all of your days.

*

You couldn’t help staring at yourself in the mirror while you got dressed for dinner that night.Your wings had been the same raven color as your hair.You’d had them as long as you could remember.Now, the wings were still there, but the feathers were all different colors.They would never go back to the way they were.You’d been changed by the sacrifice of your sisters.

You’d been given a second chance.

There would be no third.

“Your wings are as beautiful as ever, my love,” Loki purred in your ear.“They are simply more exotic now,” you couldn’t help the smile at his reassuring words and turned to kiss him, glad that he was able to accept you for who you were, just as he always had.


End file.
